Chronicles of sin: The Spirit Swordsman
by Different Dimension Demon
Summary: Theres an old adage that says the sins of the father passes to the son but what happens when the son suffers at the hands of not just the father but everyone? His village. His family that should protect him. How does the son cope or will he drown in the process succumbing to the sins hes blamed for? Naruxfem!sasuke/sakura/fem!gaara
1. chapter 1

All was calm in Fire Country as a merchant caravan appeared on the horizon. Hopping out of the caravan a single person adjusted their cloak before tossing a small coin purse to the driver. "My thanks for allowing me passage Tatsuko-san, Amaya-san" the figure said before bowing their head.

The elder man and his wife smiled at the young man."Non-sense young man, such polite and well mannered company is more than welcome. I pray our paths cross again in the future" the man said as his wife tossed the coin purse back. "Keep safe you hear." He gave a shake of the reigns before the horses began to move once more.

The cloaked figure shook its head as he began down the road toward the large village ahead of him. He hadn't been there for years and yet here he was about to return to the place of his torment. A sigh escaped his lips as the village walls drew closer and closer. 'This is a mistake and I know I'm going to regret listening to Katsuro-dono on this' he thought to himself. If it wasn't for his Lord ordering him to return the young man would have been more than content to never return to the village only miles in front of him. As he drew closer and closer his muscles tensed under the cloak, his hand clasping the grip of his sword secured at his hip.

"Stop right there. Remove the hood and show us your papers" one of the chunin guards at the gate said stopping the cloaked figure.

The young man scowled and had to force himself to let go of his sword before he pushed back the hood of his cloak. Scarred pale skin, dark crimson hair and amethyst eyes were exposed to the sun as the young man reached for the pouch on his hips. Handing the papers over he had to part his cloak revealing the loose samurai style battle kimono top and hakama pants as well as his nodaichi to the two guards. For a moment the male waited irritatedly as the two men poured over his documents.

"Reason for your visit" the other chunin asked handing the papers with a wary glance to the young man.

"I am here on the orders of my Lord to speak with your Kage about becoming a shinobi for your village." The young man felt the need to puke just saying those dirty words but he didn't let it show. Even if it was a chance to see the two people he missed most in the world, the two people prior to Katsuro-dono that saw him as human, he didn't like the sour taste in his mouth. They were smart girls back then, they could only have gotten smarter and when they learned the truth of what happened he knew he was in trouble big time

"And who is your Lord?"

"Lord Katsuro-dono, sixth and current sitting Daimyo of Hi no Kuni." He almost smirked seeing the two chunin fall over in shock but kept an impassive look on his face. Before he could blink there was an armed escort squad of ANBU around him with weapons drawn and aimed at him. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked with an even tone though his eyes were narrowed dangerously, his hand clenching the grip of his sword.

"Stand down." A Dragon masked ANBU gave a signal and all the swords aimed at him were sheathed. "That is a big claim to make sir. Do you have any proof to back it up?" asked the man as he crossed his arms. The kid before him did not look like much but appearances were deceiving especially if the kid could use the sword with him effectively.

"I have a letter to back up my claim Katssuro-dono addressed to your sitting Kage in case little peons like you gave me a hard time." There was a biting tone to his words as he waved a sealed letter bearing the Daimyos seal. "I told Katsuro-dono to send word of my arrival ahead, I told him this would happen but nnnooooo... 'Wave this at them and demand an audience with the Hokage' he said. This is why I hate you villages." He said the last part to himself. "So are you going to let me in to speak to your figure head or do I have to go back to the Fire Capital and tell the Daimyo this was a waste of time like I told him it would b-"

From atop the arch a shadow cast down on the group of ninja and the young man. Minato Namikaze was a man most recognized on sight with his shock blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. If it wasn't his hair or eyes that gave him away it was his signature white coat with flames that did so. "A figure head am I young man? Big words for a little boy with a tooth pick sword" he said.

The young man bristled as his eyes narrowed to slits. Insult him, fine. Insult his sword, the reason for his living, and your life was forefeit. A sudden warmth and calmness flushed through him unfelt by the ninja around him. "Yes a figure head, a puppet." If this idiot wanted to grind him the wrong way then he would do so as well. "I don't understand why Katsuro-dono feels I should be a shinobi for you but my orders stand. Call off your pets and come down here, my Lord sent a letter to answer any questions or doubts you may have of both my skills and identity." He almost smirked seeing Minato bristle at being called a puppet and his ANBU, the best village in his village, called pets but he stamped it down jumping off the gatd arch. While the seal was authenticated with a jutsu and the contents read he took in the features of the blonde male before him. 'Seems hes aged decades in the last four years' the young man thought to himself. Indeed for a young Kage Minato had the frown lines and racoon bag eyes of a Kage at least twenty or thirty years into their reign.

"Hes fine. The Daimyo has indeed sent him though he did not state your name" Minato said with a scowl. The Daimyo said the young man before him was trained by the very best tutors of the ninja arts he could find and a certifiable genius on the level of the Fire Capitals strategist Nara Hioshi. Katsuro sung the boys praises six ways to Sunday though he warned Minato to make it be known to NEVER touch the boys sword or he would kill you. The letter explained the sword was special to an extent he could not understand and people had tried to steal it from the young man before they were killed for their crime, a crime Katsuro would not let the young man be persecuted for if any Konoha ninja or civilian got the big head to try taking it from the young man.

"Lucifer Morningstar, son of Jacob Morningstar head of Lord Katsuro-donos personal bodyguard detail." It was a cover that the Daimyo and his head of protection detail worked out until the plan was to be revealed. Even if Minato sent out feelers through Jiraiya there would be a full civilian file to be found. "So am I going to be tested or am I wasting mine and my Lords time?" Lucifer asked irritably.

Minato scowled more at the young mans tone. Such disrepect was a quick way to earn his ire but considering the journey the young man had to make on the Daimyos orders the irritation the young man felt wad understandable. "Dragon. Take him to the academy where the other graduates will be taking their test with Iruka" he ordered the masked shinobi.

Dragon nodded and motioned for Lucifer to follow him. Something felt off about the crimson haired kid. Something about him felt familiar yet what it was exactly was beyond reach at the moment. When the pair reached the academy he was shown to the room where the graduates were about to begin their graduation exam. "Iruka-san, do you happen to possess a spare test? There is a last minute addition to take the graduation exam" Dragon said pulling the chunin aside.

Iruka scowled at the ANBU agent. "I do have extra copies but I don't see the relevance of it. I already have the roster I was assigned accounted for sitting in their waiting for me to tell them to begin" the chunin said crossly.

"Dragon-san is speaking about me Iruka-san. Lord Katsuro-dono has personally sent me to become a ninja of this village for what reason I cannot figure out. Probably some bullshit about world experience before I take my fathers duties over when I am ready by my fathers standards" Lucifer said with a scoff.

"And who are you?"

"Lucifer Morningstar, son of Jacob Morningstar head of Lord Katsuro-donos personal security detail" he said.

Iruka was floundered for a moment before composing himself and ushering in the young man. The son of the head of the Daimyos personal security was sent to gain experience as a ninja in Konoha? Graduating with the strongest class of graduates since Itachi Uchiha? Oh boy, this was going to be a hell of a situation.

Once Lucifer had entered the classroom he felt his heart stop as his eyes landed on three people he knew he would recognize no matter how much they changed, two he held dear to his heart and one he despised with a passion. He didn't hear the whole bitching complaints from an Inzuka kid and was shaken from his internal freeze as he was directed to sit in the third row in an empty seat.

"You may begin your test now."

-in the Hokages office-

"Jiraiya I have a mission for you." Minato didn't particularly like being so business with his sensei but the business with that Lucifer kid had him uneasy. He felt like he should know him somow but couldn't place why.

Noticing his student was uneasy Jiraiya decided to be completely business. To make Minato uneasy was hard to do and could be bad for the village. "What is it?" he asked.

"I need you to find all the information you can on one Lucifer Morningstar. He claims to be the son of the Daimyos head personal guard Jacob Morningstar. Its probably nothing and Im being paranoid but.. I can't help feeling like I should know the kid. The vibes that come off him are eerily similar to..." Minato couldn't finish the sentence and flinched. He couldn't say his sons name, hell he didn't deserve to get to call Naruto his son after all they did him. Beat, starve, neglect- and for what reason? There was no justifiable reason.

His son only craved and tried to get his family to acknowledge his existence in a positive manner but that was too much. Then his corpse was found and their mistake was laid bear, the straw to break the camels back-Natsumi wasn't the child of prophecy. They played a vital role in killing the only saviour their world had.

"I know who the kid is" Jiraiya said grimacing. "Right pain in the ass but hes no threat. Hes like you only ten times smarter on the IQ scale. I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't become a seal master in the future since hes so adept at it."

"How do you know that?" Minato asked leaning forward in his seat with his curiosity piqued.

"I taught him some last time I was in the Fire Capital."


	2. This is a test?

Lucifer finished the written test in no time flat and felt DUMBER for it. 'Is this really part of the test? God these questions are so basic a no knowledge civilian could answer them. This is supposed to be a ninja academy not a civilian day school' he thought resting his head on the desk. Once the paper tests were collected Iruka and his assistant, a creepy dude named Mizuki he got a bad feeling off of, got everyone outside.

"Alright listen up everyone. We're going to do your weapons test first. You need to score six out of ten with both kunai and shuriken in the middle of the target to pass" Iruka said as the kids were coralled to the weapons range. One by one they were tested with the majority passing while a few did not. "Haruno Sakura."

Lucifer watched like a hawk as Sakura approached the line and took her kunai first from Mizuki. She seemed to test the weight and scowled. "These kunai are weighted entirely wrong from standard kunai. I will use my own" he heard her say and was impressed she could tell something was off. The scowl on Mizukis face was noticed as well as he set the kunai back in the stack. In the span of five seconds the kunai and shuriken marked the target.

"Fail" Mizuki said.

"Incorrect Mizuki-sensei. Iruka-sensei said the weapons must be within the center of the target but not precisely where. The target is a human silhouette, every area of the human body is a target. Besides that, Haruno-san did something far more lethal if it was a live opponent." Lucifer crossed the range and pointed to the kunai and shuriken buried at three locations in the arms. "Matching wounds of severe enough intensity here at the wrist, elbow joint and shoulder joint would leave the arms useless hence no more use of jutsu" he said. "These two sets at the knees and its joint as well at the hips would render an enemy immobile. The last two center mass would paralyze a ninja from the middle of the ribcage down based on the rough approximation of an average male shinobi. As I have heard one of your jounins say before, ninja smarter not harder. A ninja that cannot move and cannot use jutsu is one that you can easily kill or capture for interrogation on enemy intel" he said collecting the weapons and crossing the range back to Sakura. "Your weapons Haruno-san."

Sakura as well as the rest of the class and Iruka were surprised at the knowledge the new kid had. Thinking outside the box was encouraged since the real world would not be a controlled environment. "Hes right Mizuki and a complete oversight on my part for saying center of the target. For everyone coming up next when I said center of the target I mean center mass or the chest" Iruka said. "You pass Sakura."

"You seem knowledgeable Lucifer-san" Sakura said approaching the crimson haired boy flanked by her friend Satsuki.

"My father is the head of the Daimyos personal security detail, I must be knowledgeable of many things. Human anatomy is just one of many things to interest me" Lucifer said shrugging. He took the moment to absorb the changes to Sakura and Satsuki, to say he was floored was an understatement. Sakuras hair was long, as long as short is since it reached only just past her shoulders in a small ponytail, and her skin had tanned to a healthy shade instead of the paleness of her youth he remembered. If he hazarded a guess she had to be a solid high B-cup maybe small C-cup and he thought it actually worked well for her build. The thing that surprised him was her change of fashion. Instead of being in time with fashion like their youth her clothes were practical, cargo pants with a lot of pocekts combat boots and a mesh under armor shirt reaching her elbows topped by a forest short sleeve shirt.

Satsuki was much the same though the way he could feel her chakra flowing he could say with a sure guess she had unlocked her Sharingan already though he tried to suppress the guilt building in his chest. Unlike Sakuras long-short hair Satsuki kept her hair short that the strands barely touches the bottom of her neck with two strands framing her face. Like Sakura she had a healthy tan and he could guess Satsuki was a solid C-cup. Her clothes were essentially a carbon copy of Sakuras except they were done in her clan colors with the symbol on the back of the shirt over her mesh under armor shirt.

"Lucifer Morningstar."

"My apologies ladies" Lucifer said tilting his head slightly and went to the line. Pulling his own kunai and shuriken from a pouch on his hip he tossed them one at a time almost lazily. Each thrown weapon pierced through the same spot each time, dead center where the heart was. Collecting his weapons he barely listened to the called pass.

"Knowledgeable and skilled. Call me impressed Morningstar" Satsuki said eyeing Lucifer appraisngly. While the male had done his test Sakura had said he felt familiar and she had to admit he did. It was weird because it was like the way a part of her wanted to cry seeing him was clawing to be let out to embrace him but she wasn't sure why.

When they were coralled again to the taijutsu ring they were seperated by gender before the matches began. Sakura and Satsuki dominated the female matches before they drew a tie when forced to fight each other. The boys matches were boring til his name was called. "Iruka-sensei I forefeit my match. The taijutsu style I learned from my father to be used in conjuction with my sword is meant to maim or kill. I would rather not be executed for permanently injuring and ending the ninja career of what I can only assume is a future clan head before it even begins" he said with a lazy drawl he said motioning to the boy and puppy in the taijutsu ring.

"And what taijutsu style is it Lucifer-san?" Iruka said.

"The Dragon Demon Blade style. It is taught to the personal guard of the Daimyo and the successors of the guard from a young age for when we take over our predecessors role. Even the most basic attack of the DDB if used on a target that tries to evade but does not do so fully, they will lose a limb no questions asked and bleed out unless you have Tsunade Senju, or a medical ninja of her caliber, on hand to reattach a severed limb its best you ask me not fight" Lucifer said shrugging. "Now if we were already genin and participating in the chunin exam then that would be a different story since we can kill our competiton. But we're not genin and we're not in the chunin exams so no."

Several pairs of eyes widened in shock as he spoke. He could talk so callously about killing and it didn't seem to faze him about even hurting others in even theoretical permanence.

Mizuki growled under his breath finding himself more and more annoyed. This Morningstar kid was messing up everything! His plan was going to be rui- a sick grin spread across his face mentally. A small adjustment and the plan was back on track.

Once more coralled inside they were called one at a time to do the jutsu portion. Lucifer felt eyes on him and glanced to see Sakura and Satsuki staring at him. As much as their laser focus was flattering to him, they developed into beautiful young women so he was flattered well and truly, it was a little disturbing too. When he was called to do the test he nearly facefaulted at the further idiocy of the requirements. He kawarimied with Mizuki, with no handseals to show off, before henging into Minato. "The standards of this academy are deplorable. I've seen stricter and higher standards out of the minor hidden villages. Is this a ninja academy or a civilian daycare center?" he asked with a scoff, his voice and pitch dead on for Minato.

Iruka and Mizuki cringed for a moment knowing their leader had said something similar before. Mizuki didn't particularly care since by then his allegiance to Orochimaru was secured but Iruka was ashamed to be polite. "The Bunshin Lucifer-san" Iruka said as the boy dispelled the henge and switched back with Mizuki.

"I am a bunshin. Mizubunshin to be precise. The boss is in the classroom with the others under a genjutsu just to see if anyone took their training seriously." Lucifer stabbed himself and collapsed in a puddle of water.

Iruka was slackjaw as he tallied the scores. Outside of forefeiting the taijutsu portion which wasn't as heavily weighted Lucifer was tied with Shikamaru for Rookie Of The Year. "Congratulations to all of you who have passed. If I call your name come get a headband from the table." One by one names were called. "Finally, Lucifer Morningstar. We weren't expecting a last minute special case so I do not have a headband to give you. You will have to speak to Hokage-sama about getting one tomorrow after team assignments. The last order of business, Rookies of the year. On the Kunoichi side we have a tie between Sakura and Satsuki, what else is new." Both girls let an indignant growl of annoyance escape. "On the Shinobi side, a surprise actually. Lucifer and Shikamaru are tied for the best scores on this graduation exam since Itachi Uchiha and Kakashi Hatake graduated at the age of six."

Lucifer let his head drop in annoyance. He just wanted to find a hotel or something already. Tying for rookie meant probably having to fight the Nara kid.

"I don't want it so let the new guy have it. If I have the title it means I actually have to try at stuff" Shikamaru said from where his head rested on his arms.

"Wow... You're lazier than Hioshi-sensei is" Lucifer said with a deadpan expression. "Lazy ass Naras."

"Since we already know Sakura amd Satsuki are equal in skill lets call it a draw. Make them share the title" Shikamaru said yawning. He just wanted to get out of there already to go cloud watching.

"Meh, I can live with that. Satsu-chan?" Sakura asked glancing to the other girl who shrugged.

"Why not? Saves a lot of time for us if we do. We'll share it" Satsuki said nodding her head.

"Sincs thats everything, get out of here all of you and enjoy your last few hours as kids. Starting tomorrow after you meet your teams your lived as ninja of Konoha truly begin. Lucifer-san, a moment if you will" Iruka said as the class filtered out of the room with Mizuki. "You seemed to be confident in what you described your taijutsu styles lethality to be. May I ask specifically why? Training in a style and practicing it in combat are two different things."

Lucifer looked annoyed and scowled at Iruka. Should he tease his lethality to the chunin? Or perhap out his bingo book persona? "Do you have a bingo book?"


	3. Hell hath no fury like a caged beast

Lucifer leaned back in his seat at the back of the classroom as the other kids milled in their social groups. He wasn't paying attention until a pair of scents hit nose that incited a small panic attack in his head. A soft sweet smell like cherry blossoms on the breeze and a light smoky smell like simmered spices left to age, smells he knew would lead to two people within his immediate area- Sakura and Satsuki. Opening one eye he saw said young women sitting on his desk peering intently at him. "Can I help you Haruno-san, Uchiha-san?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Even if he was having a small irrational panic attack, he looked nothing like he did when he was eight so Sakura and Satsuki wouldn't know it was him til he revealed his true identity when he was ready, he looked absolutely calm outwardly.

"For one reason or another Sakura and I get this really weird feeling about you Lucifer-san. This feeling that you feel familiar for a reason but after a long discussion we can both say with certainty that we have never met you before" Satsuki said ignoring the eyes on the three of them. The class called her and Sakura Konohas Ice Queens in training, a title perpetrated by Ino and Kiba who regretted it when they were made examples of by her and Sakura, and for them to be talking civilly to anyone was like finding snow in Suna in their peers eyes.

"Father and Lord Katsuro-dono tell me I have this thing about me. Something about a relatable kind of aura and charisma. Do I remind you of somebody?" Lucifer asked already beating the guilt down even as Sayakas warmth tried to bring him some measure of comfort.

"Yeah you do... He was a good friend of ours when we were kids. The whole village was against him and hurt him every chance it could... Even his own family was guilty of the crimes against him" Sakura said with a sigh. "Even despite that he was the first true friend we both had. He stuck up for me against some bullies older than us when we were five." She smiled sadly as Satsuki wrapped an arm around her.

"Him and Sakura were there for me when my dad was less than supportive of me shortly before the three of us turned six. They didn't care about my clan name or anything, they were nice to me for me and no other reason. Supported me to do my best and not care about being compared to a standard" Satsuki said smiling her own sad smile.

"Whoever he is he must be a good guy. He sounds very kind and dare I say pure. A rare person considering our reality" Lucifer said having to literally fight back his urge to embrace them both. He wasn't ready yet, he couldn't protect them politically yet so he had to keep up this persona.

"He was pure and kind. He was killed when we were eight. Murdered by the scum of this village" Sakura snarled only to have her shoulders slump in Satsukis grasp.

"Why fight for this village if it killed this boy you both cared so deeply for? Why not leave?" Lucifer asked. It wasn't just a question to ask but he wanted to, no needed to know. Why had Sakura and Satsuki decided to follow this path?

"The three of us made a promise as kids. He made us promise him to try and see the best in the monsters around us. Becoming kunoichi of the village is the best way to honor the last wish of our dear departed friend" Satsuki said shaking her head. They hadn't been speaking loudly so no one but Lucifer heard the girls but she suspected the class was drawing its own conclusions based off hers and Sakuras body language.

"He had good choices in friends then" Lucifer said politely clapping a hand on Sakuras knee to try to lighten the girls mood. "Loyalty with GOOD reason is a rare thing. I'm sure your friend is looking down on you two and smiling at the fine young women you two no doubt have become since his passing, Kami rest his soul."

Sakura and Satsuki shared a bitter sweet smile before seperating. "You're probably right" Sakura said before the rumbling of a stampede was heard. "Oh great.. Shes here." The scowl that marred her face matched Satsukis own as the door was thrown open.

After all eyes were seemingly on her a blonde girl walked in flanked by a small army of fanboys. Golden blonde hair with red highlights reached her back, a pale tan contrasted her ocean blue eyes and the whisker like birth marks on her cheek gave her a cute fox-like appesrance to her face. Dressed in a kunoichi battle dress style kimono she looked more ready to be going to a high fashion party or formal event than being assigned a genin team.

"So whose blonde and model wanna be?" Lucifer asked scowling deeper and darker than Sakura or Satsuki. Of course he knew his sister from the whisker marks but had to act dumb of the fact. It wouldn't do to have a village newbie to have all the knowledge of a natural born citizen, that would be suspect and put too much focus on him right joe when he didn't need it.

"Natsumi Uzumaki-Namikaze. Youngest child of the Yondaime and his wife Kushina Namikaze" Satsuki said with venom in her voice. "Shes a braggart and full of herself."

"Youngest child? So she has siblings then?" Lucifer asked as Natsumi worked her way through her adoring fanboys to her circle of friends who animatedly and happily welcomed her.

"Had, had a sibling. Our friend we were talking about was her older brother, Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze" Sakura said. "How they were related I don't know. Natsumi is a nasty self conceited piece of work where Naruto-kun was a selfless soul that looked for the best in people. Honestly I hope he was adopted. Someone like him who was so kind couldn't possibly be cut from the same cloth as that pompous scum pit that is the Yondaimes family."

Lucifer felt a warmth in his chest and his heart clench at what Sakura said as Satsuki agreed. He knew that the girls were devoted to him, he knew that even as they were kids, but to still be so to the memory of his words far beyond his ages years ago made him yearn to let them know now. Before he could open his mouth to comment Iruka entered and called the classroom to order.

"Now I know some of you are probably wondering where Mizuki is." After silencing the questioning murmurs he continued. "Mizuki tried to steal a sacred artifact from the village last night and was executed for his crimes" Iruka said, his words inspiring a new round of quiet murmurs. "Let this be a lesson to all of you now that you begin your careers as shinobi and kunoichi today. Everything you do from now has its own consequences no matter what, some much more severe than others." He shot a glare at the Inzuka heir who shrivelled under his former teachers look. "Now onto the team assignments. Team 1 is made up of.."

Naruto tuned it out partially as he kept Natsumi in his peripheral vision. 'She hasn't changed at all' he thought as his brows knit together. 'Then again thats like expecting water to turn into pudding.' The slight influx from Sayaka he interpretted as a sarcastic laughter.

"Team 7 is made up of Satsuki Uchiha, Sakura Haruno" the two girls grinned slightly and bumped fists "Natsumi Uzumaki-Namikaze" the grins fell into dark scowls "and Lucifer Morningstar. Your senseis are Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze and Kakashi Hatake."

Lucifer sat up straight with the tiniest hints of murder surfacing in his eyes. Sakura and Satsuki were fine in his book, they were his friends, but to have those three traitors to deal with was beyond his godly patience. "I go walking. After midnight, in the moonlight. Searching for the one sight. Just for me." He sang part of the lullaby in a near silent whisper to calm his raging soul. If Sakura or Satsuki heard him it might raise questions but the way the girls were glaring at the blonde female it seemed they didn't hear him. Good and yet a small part of him hurt at the same time.

Before the team listings were finished two people entered the room. A man with gravity defying silver hair dressed in standard jounin attitre with his headband across one eye and a woman that drew awe from most of the class. Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze was a beauty that had no equal in Konoha. Between her waist length crimson hair with only the beginning hints of individual gray strands, amethyst eyes and pale skin he was certain he may get pulled aside by her to ask if he was an Uzumaki. Dressed in a battle dress that showed her figure well she certainly drew a lot of the boys lusting stares. "Team 7" Kushina said as she shifted her weight from one foot to another. "Follow us to the roof." Kakashi didn't wait and shunshined off to the roof.

"I taks it thats her mother?" Lucifer asked as the three of them got up and saw Natsumi embrace Kushina.

"Ding ding, Sakura tell the young man what hes won" Satsuki said with a sarcastic roll of her eyes as the trio followed Natsumi and Kushinas forms as the young blonde talked animatedly to the older redhead.

"I think the three of us are going to get along just fine" Lucifer said as the small group exited up to the roof.

"Well since we are going to be a team lets begin with introductions. Names, likes, dislikes, hobbies, dreams for the future, skills you possess etc things like that" Kushina said shooing her daughter to sit near Sakura, Satsuki and Lucifer.

"Why don't you go first sensei? Jounin squad leaders are supposed to lead by example" Sakura said propping her head on a hand.

Lucifer tuned out Natsumi, Kakashi and Kushina as he silently ticked off the boxes he already knew. 'I was abused and put to near death enough times to know' he thought bitterly. Sakura and Satsuki were fairly well rounded with Sakura possessing the edge in taijutsu while Satsuki had the edge in ninjutsu and genjutsu. "Lucifer Morningstar. My likes and dislikes are my own. No particular hobbies or dreams. I have been classed by the tutors at the Fire Capital as high jounin in all skills except medical jutsu since I need to further my chakra control which was ranked high chunin according to Tsunade Senju when she was passing through the Capital on happenstance and stumbled across me training."

Kakashi looked to Lucifer with his visible eyebrow raised. "Care to give us examples? We are a team after all."

"Don't make me laugh scarecrow. Everyone knows the academy test skims those with potential to the top. Its up to you two to truly test us so no I refuse to elaborate. Even if I wanted to Lord Katsuro-dono has my true abilities classified with only he being able to freely inform at his discretion" Lucifer scoffed.


	4. He seems so much like our son

Kushina squirmed internally as she sat st the dinner table idly picking at her food. For one reason or another, she was still trying to fathom it herself, the sole male genin on her team un-nerved her. A part of her looked at him and felt he was similar to her son, he and Naruto would be roughly the same age had her baby boy not been killed, and it made her guilt build in her heart.

"..ina. Kushina!" Minato waved a hand in front of his wifes face concerned about his wife spacing out so throughly he had to raise his voice to spook her back to awareness. "Are you alright love? You've been spaced out for the last fifteen minutes" he said with a kind concerned tone.

"Y-yeah I'm fine. Just feeling a little..more guilty than usual" Kushina said quietly. She saw Minatos expression become immediately more somber understanding. "Its just that at the first team meeting earlier I was looking at that Lucifer kid you tacked on the team since he was a last minute add from the Daimyo and I thought I saw a ghost of what Naruto could've been." There was more unsaid, purposefully left unsaid as the husband and wife royally fucked up a lot with their firstborn, and she knew her husband understood. "He didn't seem to like me, Kakashi or Natsumi either. Sakura and Satsuki seemed to be friendly enough with him but maybe its a fluke I guess. All academy records say they scorn anyone being friends with them except the other."

"Whats it matter either way kaa-san? That Morningstar guy is a freak. He barely spoke at all and the little he did so like he was chewing on glass the whole time. Not to mention the dirty looks he was giving you, me and Kakashi onii-san" Natsumi said with a scowl.

"Natsumi we raised you better than to judge someone than by one sole impression" Minato said frowning at his daughter. Ever since his awakening to his failure as a parent to Naruto, too little too late as his son had already been dead and little more than a skeleton with pieces of rotting flesh given the month of exposure, he'd been doing everything to curb Natsumis spoiled habits she grew used to freely flaunting. To a degree him and Kushina had been successful but some habits were still stubborn and refused to go away.

"Its true though daddy. He had a death grip on the handle of his sword. He kept a glare shifting between kaa-san, Kakashi onii-san and me. He refused to elaborate on his skills beyond saying what he was skilled in when onii-san asked us about it, something about the Daimyo classified his full skills" Natsumi said spearing a piece of fish on her chopstick. "The guy is a freak and gives me creeps."

Minato scowled at his daughters words and spared a glance to Kushina who nodded. "Still doesn't give you the right to label him. You're friends with the Aburame boy and hes labeled as a 'freak' by most of your peers. Are you going to follow suit to insult your friend?" he asked challenging the girl.

Natsumi sputtered and tried to come up with a rebuttal only to get none to come to mind. "No but thats not the point! I don't know this new guy from Joe Smoe off the street and he just feels...wrong. Predatory if I have to pin a word to him" she said with a huff.

The rest of dinner passed in silence as the small family wad left to their own thoughts. Glances met once or twice but no one spoke. "Clear your plate and get some sleep sweetheart. You're going to need your strength for your test tomorrow" Minato said seeing Natsumis plate was clear. Once they were alone he turned to Kushina. "What aren't you telling me about him?" he asked bluntly.

"I suspect he might have Uzumaki blood based off his looks. Blood red hair, amethyst eyes- both traits dead identifiers for having clan blood. He might have Uzumaki blood and not know it" Kushina said biting her lip as she briefly remembered the remnants of her clan scattered to the four corners of of the nations.

"Have him blood tested" Minato said as he dropped his fork to the plate. "Every shinobi has to have an up to date medical record so bring you team for their first shinobi physical with our personal doctor and have him run the blood work. That'll give you answers."

"And what good would it give us? Say he is an Uzumaki, what do I say to him? 'Oh hey, I know I'm your sensei but it turns you're an Uzumaki so welcome to the family'. Thats a breach of medical confidentiality and could have me stripped of my rank, something not even you can stop since the kid is protected by the Daimyo" Kushina said with a grimace. She hated the position it put her in but if the kid was an Uzumaki and didn't know it she didn't want to leave not knowing his heritage, his clan.

Minato fought the urge to growl at the slight blunt disrespect but knew Kushina was right. If they did that and she was right there was no way to protect her from reprecussions. "I'm just trying to help sheesh. No need to bite my head off" he said rolling his eyes.

"Sorry.. Its just the whole situation is stressful. Naruto would have graduated yesterday and ever since we realized our mistake... It just seems worse seeing that Lucifer kid. He looks like what I imagine Naruto would have grown up to look like since he took after the Uzumaki side of the looks" Kushina said as she wiped silent tears from her cheek.

On the stairs Natsumi listened to her parents talk with an impassive look on her face. She didn't understand what the new guy had to do with anything concerning her dead brother. Yeah the new guy had the hallmark looks of an Uzumaki but that didn't have to do anything with her brother. Did it? She tried to remember any memory of her elder sibling and she couldn't think of anything, nothing good anyway. All she came up was the nasty things she said and did copying her parents to an injured and half starved child who looked more the part of a five year old in stature due to malnutrition. She remembered blaming him for everything wrong she did and the merciless beating he would receive as he pleaded he had done nothing wrong which would only make the beating ten times worse for lying. Then they found what was left of his corpse after her godfather came to her parents with grave news. Something about the death of the phophecized child dooming the world. Her mother had been a wreck sobbing over a skeleton with ripped tattered clothes and a few large swatches of rotting flesh left clinging to bone, her father barely any better and she herself surprisingly numb.

Forcing herself out of the dark thoughts she continued up to her room. What would her elder brother look like if he hadn't been killed? Sometimes the thought plagued her mind and it scared her. The sibling she had treated like less than dirt, worse than the most deplorable criminal yet was by all accounts- hindsight was a curse more than a blessing- a saint who only tried to help people only to be spit or injured for it. Collasping on her bed she covered her face with a pillow. 'Maybe all I need is sleep to clear my head' she thought getting comfy as she pulled the cord to turn the light off, sleep soon following after.

Within his hotel room Lucifer sneezed. "Are you getting sick master? I told you that you need to start taking better care of yourself" Sayaka said with a sigh. Looking toward the window where her master at on the windowsil looking over the village.

"I suspect someone is talking about me, not my health in decline Sayaka. Your worry is appreciated though. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to lie to Sakura and Satsuki. They mourned my 'death' at eight and used it to motivate themselves to keep their promise to me. Sayaka... I know you said I'm the Sages reincarnation and I have a job to do but I can't...I can't hurt Sakura and Satsuki more than I need to.. I loved them back then, it was more innocent then but it doesn't change the fact, and I can't help loving them still.." Lucifer paused as he looked over to her with uncertainty on his face. "They're as loyal to my sentiments now as they were then."

"You won't have to lie to them for much longer. Now that you are registered as a shinobi you can get Lord Katsuro-dono to expedite the paperwork for the clan. Once the paperwork comes through you can tell them the truth. You have the clan leaders sword and artifact. Not even She can dispute you when you present those" Sayaka said gently running her fingers through Lucifers hair. "You can have them soon master but you must be patient, you've waited for so long. Two months to expedite paper for the clan to be legal in all of Fire Country is a blink of the eye compared to the years of training to see them again." Her tone was soft and almost maternal as she regarded her master. He may be her master, her wielder, but Lucifer was also technically at heart still a child who needed a soft hand to guide him once in a while.

"They're going to hate me for lying to them" Lucifer said quietly, his eyes going back to the village.

"They love you master, I could sense it when you three spoke. They will be really upset but I doubt with all the fiber of my being they could hate you" Sayaka said wrapping her arms loosely around him and cradled his head to her chest. "Explain to them why it had to be so. I have never steered you wrong before have I?"

"No I guess not" Lucifer said with a sigh.

"Then trust me master. I am a woman after all. We know these kinds of things instinctually" Sayaka said as she rested her chin atop his head. "The moon is high, you should rest. You have that test to do." Gentle prodding got him into bed as she drew the curtains closed. "Go to sleep master, I'll wa-" She turned back and saw Lucifer sleeping silently. "I'll wake you in the morning master" she said quietly as drew the blankets up over him and situated herself at the end of the bed. "Rest well Naruto, our road ahead is rocky but we will see it through."


	5. Genin Test part 1

By the time the sun began to peek over the horizon Lucifer was up, had completed his morning wake-up workout, showered and dressed. "Sayaka its time to go." His eyes turned to his companion who was combing a brush through her hair. "And next time you decide to stay up all night worrying about me, don't. I need my closest ally at full strength at all times. I do appreciate your concern though. The fact you worry about me means a lot to me" he said giving her a small half smile.

"M-master don't say such sappy things! Its my job to worry about your well being" Sayaka said looking away with a blush. Sometimes the spirit felt a hollow pang whenever he smiled at her like that. That smile that made her melt and putty in his hands but she knew they could never be. She was a sentient spirit that served her masters faithfully and no matter how fond she could be of one, maybe even love them, she had to stamp the feelings out; her master would grow old and die, their spirits would pass on and she would be left alone to find another worthy of her help.

Lucifer laughed softly and came up behind her lightly placing his hands on Sayakas shoulders. "I know its your job to worry about me" he said pressing his thumbs gently into the tense muscles between her shoulders. "But you go above and beyond every day. I've never had someone care so much about me like that besides Sakura and Satsuki, you know this. You know I think you're special and I wouldn't be here without you, something I can never repay you fully for but I won't let that stop me." He kissed her cheek lightly and patted her shoulders. "Now lets go, I want to scout out this training field ahead of time. See if the wench or the cyclops got funny ideas to booby trap it ahead of time" he said.

Sayaka mutely nodded, her blush slightly darker as her finger caressed ths spot where Lucifer kissed her cheek. She knew how highly and closely her master held her in his heart, his reassurance made the core of her spirit(a/n: not sexual people!) flutter with warmth. It was just another reason why she was so glad she saved him from Deaths Door so many years ago. "You'll break hearts with that sincerity master" she said once she could trust herself to not stutter or stumble over her own words.

"I don't doubt that at all Sayaka" Lucifer said laughing lightly as he turned the door lock behind him. "As long as those hearts don't include Sakura or Satsuki I'm ok with it. I would never intentionally harm them more than the last few years have been necessary" Letting the door close behind them he leisurely strolled toward the elevator whistling to himself. He could feel Sayakas eyes on him and he lazily offered an arm to her, his lips curling up into a small smile as she situated herself within it comfortably and nuzzled his cheek. 'Like a pup or a kitten seeking its owners warmth' he thought to himself with a slight warmth in his chest. 'Or perhaps more accurately something akin to a loved one showing their care.'

An early rising pair looked at the two new occupants with a raised eyebrow as they entered the elevator. The kid was obviously a ninja based off the headband around his neck but he wasn't a kid he'd seen around the village before. "New genin?" the taller male of the pair asked as he tied his own headband in place around his bicep.

"Prospective genin. My team and I have our true test in a few hours. My partner and I are going to do a little recon on the training field the test is supposed to take place at. See if our prospective senseis booby trapped it ahead of time to make our test a touch more challenging" Naruto said casually shrugging his free shoulder not being used as a head pillow by Sayaka.

"Smart kid" the older male replied. "Its doubtful but still smart. Whose on your team and whose your potential senseis? Color us curious. Most kids your age wouldn't be up for another hour or so to prepare."

"Satsuki Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and the Hokages daughter are my potential team mates. Prospective senseis are the Hokages wife and his only living student. Guess they have high standards for the team huh?" Lucifer asked with a roll of his eyes.

"High standards? Thats a team thats set up to be the perfect hit squad. Except for the Hokages brat of a daughter. If she didn't put so much time into being concerned about her vanity and trained more seriously like the so called Ice Queens in training assigned as your team mates she might've been redeemable" the male scoffed. "But who are you exactly? I've seen near every academy graduate in passing at least once and I've never seen you or your companion before."

"I was sent by Lord Katsuro-dono to get experience in the field, thats what I assume anyway, so that when my father steps down as the head of the Daimyos personal security I will have had the combat experience to figure out how an assassin may try to kill the Daimyo or his family. My companion" Lucifer glanced to Sayaka "has her own story but its not my place to tell and as you can see shes not a morning person."

Sayaka pouted sleepily, or made to appear to be, at him and stuck her tongue out at him. No need for humans not her master to know about her true reason for being around so she closed her eyes pretending to go back to sleep.

"Oh, I know you now. You're that Morningstar kid that took down Mizuki when he tried to leave the village with scroll of sealing. The whole jounin and ANBU corp that was in the village had been sent to capture him until we got recalled after the ANBU came back with the scroll and his corpse" the man said blinking. "We thought the Hokage was joking when he said a genin sent by Daimyos own selection brought him down. Damn, the betting pool is going to be pissed" the mans companions groaned.

"As riveting as this conversation has been gentlemen" the elevator dinged as it hit the ground level and opened its doors "it seems we part ways here" Lucifer said gently nudging Sayaka 'awake'. Her whine of 'protest' made him chuckle lightly as the guys eyed her amusedly. "Seems so kid. Names Ibiki Morino, maybe we'll be seeing you in the force after today" the second male shinobi said as he adjusted his bandana on his scarred head.

"Maybe, maybe not Ibiki. Kushina-san and Kakashi-san don't know the meaning of the word restraint so it may as likely they'll be sent back to the academy. Suzaku Sinbari, good luck kid" the other male shinobi said cracking his neck.

"My name is Lucifer, not kid, and I would appreciate it if you would use it. This my companion and one of my dearest friends in the world Sayaka. Say hello Sayaka to our possible future work partners" he said shaking her gently again.

"Hello Sayaka" she said with a 'sleepy' grin. The two men seemed to find her cheekiness funny as they laughed for a moment before stepping out of the elevator. Once they were far enough away the facade faded and she looked up critcially at Lucifer. "Did you have to tell them so much? They didn't need to know my name or anything like that."

"Sayaka relax ok? That was Ibiki 'The Mental Monster' Morino and Suzaku 'Shibari' Sinbari, two of Konohas top interrogators of ANBU T and I. If anyone can find out information on people in the force its them. Why do you think your name is what it is? When you told me to give you one after my training was complete I purposefully gave you one of the most common ones in the nations for a reason precisely like this in case people decide to be nosy" Lucifer said with a quiet tone so no one else would hear as they walked quickly. "I would never deliberately put you at risk and you know that."

Sayaka sighed softly and apologized. Perhaps it was just the early hour geting to her. Lucifer was right when he said she wasn't a morning person, not an early morning like crack of dawn person anyway. "I know but still most everyone who isn't my master still makes me uneasy. You know this since its one of the first things I drilled into you" she said seperating from him as they took to the rooftops.

"I know and in return remember that I drilled into your head I would kill the person or persons who would be dumb enough to try to take you from me if they found out your secret. I've killed how many people to protect you exactly now?" Lucifer asked rhetorically. "Have faith in me Sayaka."

"I do have faith in you, much more than any other master before you I have ever had. Maybe in time I can put some faith into those two girls you adore if they prove worthy. Its everyone else I cannot do the same for" Sayaka said pouting. For a few minutes the leapt from roof to roof left to their own thoughts. "I think thats the training field there." She broke off from the roof towards a training field with a large sign painted "7" on it at the entrance by a small bridge over a small river.

"Well lets start looking for obvious traps first. Wire traps, pressure plates to release launcher traps etc. Keep an eye open to ambient chakra for hidden explosive tags and such. I don't need to say it but anything you can salvage from the traps collect it with you as go. I'll take one side, you take the other. Meet back here in half an hour" Lucifer said as he took the east side of the training ground. When they met back up he was surprised to see Sayakas arms full. Kunai, shuriken, at least three spools full worth of ninja wire, flash tags, explosive tags, paper bombs- nearly every common support item.

"I think they went overkill on trying to make this challenging for your team" she said watching Lucifer catalog the items and sort them into his pouches hidden under the excess material of his kimono top.

"No, overkill is the amount of shock and paralysis seal tags over by the small pond the river feeds into" Lucifer said as he made the tags he took from Sayaka grounded with an influx of his own chakra overpowering the tiny portion of either Kushina or Kakashis. "Taking into account my own store of supplies before hand in addition to these I'd say that this test should be in the bag. If yesterday is anything to go by Sakura and Satsuki will work with me if this is Konohas famous teamwork test it gives all its genin that make it past the academy. If I have to help the blonde bitch I swear I'm going to puke." Sayaka scowled but shared Lucifers sentiment. She didn't dislike many things but one thing she hated with a passion was traitors and that was what this village, Sakura and Satsuki aside, was full of.


	6. Genin test part 2

Nine o'clock came around fast as Sakura and Satsuki made their way onto the bridge connected to the training ground. "Catch."

Both girls glanced up to Lucifer as he tossed them a weapon pouch each. Catching the pouches they rifled through making their eyes widen at the amount of stuff in them. Kunai, shuriken, explosive/shock/paralysis tags, ninja wire, paper bombs- they were filled to the brim with every support item you could find in a standard supply depot minus tier three or above stuff like demotion charges. "This must've cost of you a fortune" Sakura said breaking out of her awe and was about to toss it back.

"It didn't." Lucifer saw the confusion on their faces. "Kushina and Kakashi booby trapped the field between last night and this morning. I came here early to check just in case they did and disarmed every trap I could find. Figured we could use the edge and use their own tools against them" he said as he idly saw a fish break the river surface with a jump before it landed a foot or so down from where it broke the surface.

"Don't mistake what I'm about to say as ungrateful but isn't that just a tad paranoid?" Satsuki said clipping the pouch of supplies to her hip beside her own pouch. "They could have easily not booby trapped it."

"As my sensei in tactics taught me via the motto of his families way of thinking: 'Nothing is true, everything is permitted.' In laymans terms, there is no such as paranoid as much as it is overly cautious. We are ninja after all. Underhanded tactics like booby trapping a battlefield before a battle where your enemy is caught unawares is pretty much the expectation, not the exception" Lucifer said turning his gaze back to the pair. "I have an idea about what the test is so hear me out on strategy if you two would."

Sakura and Satsuki looked at each other before shrugging and walking over. It made sense when he put it that way. If his strategy didn't work they could make up another on the fly. "So what do you think the test is about?" Sakura asked leaning against the railing on one side of Lucifer while Satsuki took the other.

"Teamwork. Konoha touts the value of working as a team as its reason as the strongest of five great nations right? Its why nearly every mission Leaf ninja get sent out on, exceptions aside for politcal missions and specific request missions, is in a team because if you have complimenting abilities in different people you have someone to watch your back and cover your weakness" Lucifer said glancing between the two of them. "Take you two for example. You're both well rounded in your abilities but you possess slight edges in different skills where the other is ok in. Sakura-san has the edge in close quarter engagements while Satsuki-san you possess an edge in medium to long range engagements with nin and genjutsu."

Sakura nodded her head in agreement as Satsuki let out a low hum. That was pretty sound logic to them. "Still doesn't explain your plan even though we agree with your logic" Satsuki said tapping her chin. Lucifer grinned slightly exposing a longer and sharper canine that was more akin to a fang.

"I was getting there. Now heres the plan.." As he explained the plan he saw Sakura and Satsuki both grin near evilly. They'd use Natsumi as bait since she seemed to have no patience and probably attack outright without thinking. While the blonde distracted one or both of the jounins Satsuki would attempt to catch the jounins in a genjutsu as Lucifer and Sakura joined the fray. If Satsuki was successful Lucifer would capture whatever their target was if the test was designed as a capture test, if it wasn't then they would have a few moments at most to land a few hits in on the jounin pair.

*Two hours later*

Three of the four genin were slumped against a tree panting heavily as the two jounin were giving the remaining one looks that could kill as he read a book. "Are you quite finished yet?" Kakashis withering look turned into a borderline hateful one as he saw Lucifer summon a small fireball in hand.

"You pass now give me my book!" Oh if the little brat torched his signed limited first edition Icha Icha Paradise volume one the brat would die, sent by the Daimyo or not.

"Thats not a very nice tone sensei" Lucifer said, the last word dripping sarcasm. He snapped his fingers and to the jounins shock the book shimmered out of existence. "Nifty little genjutsu huh? Thanks for that Satsuki-san." Satsuki straightened up grinning tiredly.

"No problem Lucifer-san. Your overly cautious choice to check the training field earlier this morning gave us the tools to make this test an even playing field almost" she said helping Sakura stand up straight ignoring the two jounins harsh looks turn a hundred times harsher.

"Problem senseis?" Lucifer asked as he rotated his arm in its socket to work out the kinks. "Oh right, the field. Well I was taught by an old school clan of assassins to always scout out the battlefield ahead of time if I can. Imagine my surprise when its booby trapped to hell. Why senseis, were you trying to kill us? Or perhaps put us in the hospital with burns, concussions and or nerve damage?" The annoyance on their faces made him snicker internally. "Before you even say it, possession is nine tenths of the law" he said shaking his head.

Sakura found the two jounins utterly annoyed looks hillarious as she snickered to herself. They had been played by a single genin, she and Satsuki had helped but he did the lions share of the work after Kakashi had tied up Natsumi, and if word just happened to get out their reputstions would be ruined. 'It might be a good choice to consider. That bitch is one of the biggest reasons Naruto-kun was killed' she thought with a sneer. Perhaps she'd tease little bits to an unsuspecting civilian as she walked by them like she was talking to herself, ninja aren't the most notably stable after all, and if the civilian just happened to hear Kushina Uzumaki and Kakashi Hatake got outplayed by a genin then it would be treated as a civilian rumor based off ninja self rantings BUT it would spread like wildfire that everyone in the village would know by days end.

Lucifer chuckled quietly and turned to the two girls supporting each other. "I was going to get something to eat, care to join me?" he asked looking to Sakura and Satsuki. When the two girls accepted he gave a lazy sort of grin and motioned the girls to follow him. Hearing a throat clearing he turned and scowled at the other assembled three looking at him expectantly. "You three can pound sand for all I care. You three as well as this village are famous outside your own little world here for being ruthless child abusers and the cause of the Yondaimes eldest childs death. How you and this shell of a village justify abusing a child til you actually are the cause of his murder and sleep soundly at night I'll never know. Sakura-san and Satsuki-san are the only decent people I have met so far. I'll work with you since I must and I'll listen to orders since you outrank me on paper but don't expect me to willingly socialize or respect you. Sakura-san, Satsuki-san" he said offering an arm to each kunoichi. "Its sadder and more disgusting too" he paused as both girls placed an hand on his arm "that his own family played a role in the murder of their own flesh and blood. I thought you Uzumakis were supposed to be like the Senju, protect your family at all cost. I guess Mito Uzumaki was the last true Uzumaki to understand considering her sacrifices for her clan and this village."

Kushina was in shock as Lucifer spoke. His words cut deep and harsh as she felt the strength in her knees left her and her body weight dragged her to the ground. She wanted to tear the boy a new one, to threaten him with something and prove him wrong! But he was right on too many levels, too many levels of shame that she couldn't make a sound.

"Lets go girls. I saw this nice little sushi place in the market district that got in fresh swordfish this morning just after dawn while I made my way here" Lucifer said guiding Sakura and Satsuki away. "Unless you would prefer something else."

"I'm allergic to seafood Lucifer-san but if its not too much the Akimichi clan runs a chain of bbq places that offers a little of everything for a relatively fair price" Satsuki said as she cracked her neck and spared a glance at Sakura with a burning question in her eyes. Where had Lucifer learned all that he so viciously and metaphorically stabbed Kushina with? Did he do research after their talk and connect dots with outside knowledge he had of different villages?

"If thats what you two want then its fine with me" Lucifer said shrugging his shoulder lightly. "If I can avoid making potential friends sick I'll avoid it. You'll have to guide the way though. I haven't had a proper chance to fully explore the village yet though I wouldn't mind a pair of attractive tour guides showing me around." He winked playfully and laughed as the pair shot him a mock dirty look before laughing themselves.

"Well its not everyday we have a cute guy to show around" Sakura teased back grinning slightly. In the back of her mind she was reminded of how easy it was to be around Naruto and her heart clenched in her chest noting Satsuki had a similar pained but small happy expression in her eyes.

"I'll take a compliment where I can get it" Lucifer said feeling the muscles in his shoulder relax though he wondered when they tensed. 'Probably ripping the trio a new asshole' he thought to himself. "Lead me to my doom and before you say anything lunch is on me. Consider it a chance for us to really grt to talk and get to know each other. Those introductions on the rooftop are nowhere near enough to begin for us to really be able to trust each other on missions outside this village."


	7. Off to Nami we go

"I swear if its another series of D-ranks today I'm tearing a training field to shreds afterwards" Lucifer said with a deep scowl as he, Sakura and Satsuki trailed behind the other half of their 'team'. Sakura and Satsuki only grunted a sound of affimation telling they agreed with him. In the two months since they passed Kakashi and Kushinas true test, capturing bells off their waists was hardly a challenge for him but he downplayed his skills to work on Sakura and Satsukis levels, they had done nothing but D-ranks and team training. Of course calling it 'team training' was being generous. Within the first week battle lines had been drawn, metaphorically and litterally, and sides had been chosen. Kakashi and Kushina tried to get the other three to work with Natsumi but they stalwartly refused to do that.

Sakura and Satsuki clearly stated their refusal was solely for two reasons, her vanity was too high a priority to the girl to take training seriously and when she did train Kushina had to practically hold her hand the entireway. "Natsumi is a walking representation of why most of our male counter-parts laugh at us kunoichi" Satsuki had said with a cold glare. Of course that started a fight and the pair whipped the blonde girls ass without breaking a sweat. When pressed for Lucifers reason he simply stated he wouldn't trust his back to people who would beat and murder an innocent boy. "Even worse that boy was your eldest child" he had shot a withering glare at Kushina "and your elder brother but did that matter? No." Natsumis expression was impassive as she wiped the blood from her mouth.

After the lines had been drawn it was nearly impossible to find Lucifer, Sakura or Satsuki seperately. The three of them seemed to just click. The girls confided to the other it was like having another Naruto around with Lucifer beside them. He was playful, serious when the time called for it, protective of them as they got closer and more importantly he was a wealth of knowledge ready to share with them. He pushed them to keep refining their skills and expanding their repertoires. He pushed them to be stronger and faster after every spar. He pushed them to be better and he did it by doing what no one else had- he treated them like one of the guys; he didn't treat them like fragile wallflowers just because they were kunoichi.

"Team 7 reporting for duty Hokage-sama." Kakashi cast an eye to Lucifer, Sakura and Satsuki three to the right of the rest of the team with an annoyed glint buried in his visible eye. The divide in the team undermined every ideal the academy was supposed to instill in the kids but considering Satsuki and Sakura had been Narutos friends prior to his murder, a fact that they came upon later by chance, was understandable to a degree why they despised the jounins and Natsumi. Even Lucifers reasoning was sound to a minute degree, trust was everything in a ninja team and reputation for killing your own does not breed trust.

Minato internally grimaced seeing the team before him. Initially it had been perfect in his mind save for Sakura and Satsukis attitude toward the villagers, other shinobi and his family but it all went downhill with the introduction of the Morningstar kid. He seemed to become a sort of defacto leader or something to the two girls making them stronger and diversifying their already broad skills while Natsumi was essentially a helpless child relying on her mother to spoon feed her through training despite the intense training he puts her through on a nightly basis. "Lets see whats here for you to choose from.. Ah here we go. Babysit Councilwoman Narakis daughter, clean the Inzuka kennels, repair and paint fences at the orphanage on the east side of the vil-" He was interrupted by a sound from Natsumi making his scowl. Such an action he would expect from Lucifer or the other two girls, not Natsumi.

"Are there any REAL missions? These chores are a waste of our skills" Natsumi said with a scoff.

"For once we agree with the fangirl" Lucifer said with a grimace. "All due respect Hokage-sama, our team has not only exceeded the required amount of D-ranks to be eligible for a C-rank. To be frank we have enough missions on record to have done two C-ranks by now. I can speak for myself, Sakura and Satsuki when I say we possess the skills to handle a C-rank while your daughter is...Lacking. Or so it appears in training since your-" He glared lightly as Sakura elbowed him in the ribs and gave him a hard look to choose his words carefully "Kushina-san and Kakashi-san have to hold her hand all the time in team training. By that I mean they literally have to devote the entirety of the time to her."

Minato glanced over asking if it was true silently and was less than pleased at the look on his wife and students face. "I see." The response was quick and curt, never a good sign.

"Which by the way never bothers us" Lucifer motioned to himself, Sakura and Satsuki "since Sakura-san and Satsuki-san are eager studies."

"Explain."

"While Kushina-san and Kakashi-san train Natsumi-san Lucifer-kun has been teaching us skills he has learned in his travels. He gave Satsuki an alternative taijutsu style scroll to learn from so she has a back-up in case she can't use her Sharingan for any reason in combat like she is low on chakra or other such situations. He showed me some simple and basic medical jutsu Tsunade-sama taught him in the Fire Captial, small jutsus like healing small cuts and speeding up the process of healing bruised muscles, and with his encouragement I've taken it upon to further my learning under one of the doctors in the hospital" Sakura said as Satsuki nodded her head. She knew it would make Lucifer sound like more of a sensei than the jounins but the truth was the truth.

"And you Mr. Morningstar, what precisely have you been doing the whole time? Surely teaching your team mates the odd skills and such is time consuming" Minato said turning his gaze back to the young man.

"Most of the time I left a clone with Sakura-san and Satsuki-san except for the days when Satsuki-san requests to spar to test out how shes progressing learning the katas to the style I left her. When I was showing Sakura-san the few basic medical jutsu taught to me by Tsunade I was on hand to carefully watch as she tried the jutsu on a seal modified earth clone to make it mimic skin and organs with wounds for the jutsu she was learning" Lucifer said shrugging. "Once she had a handle I encouraged her to seek out a professional at the hospital to learn more since she has the chakra control to be either a field medic for the team or once she progresses up the ranks a full medic to serve in the hospital should she choose so sir. Other than that I have my own extremely strict regiment of training I keep to so my skills are constandly sharp. One of the jounin, I believe his name is Gai I think, even considers it too extreme for him after stumbling across me one morning just after dawn in the middle of my morning workout" he said.

Kakashi and Kuehina turned their heads looking at Lucifer like he grew a second head. Gai was a nutcase when it came to training and did the word extreme justice. For the sole male genin to make the claim Gai considered the young mans workout extreme was lofty.

"It can't be that bad." Kakashi looked at the two pages of paper offered to him from the redhead. As he read it over his lone eye widened to painfully comical size. "You're ceritifiably insane" he said shooting the youth an incredulous look.

"Thats your opinion. I prefer the term... eh, what did I say to Gai when he said something similar?" Lucifer asked glancing to Satsuki.

"I quote, 'Insanity is doing the same thing expecting something different to happen. I'm special thanks to the blood in my veins allowing my durability to be better than the average persons' end quote" Satsuki said tapping her chin for a moment to remember what had been said verbatim. "That list is just all the exercises; that doesn't include the timetable for the training Lucifer-kun, Sakura and I put together for the three of us to train together."

"Besides the point" Minato glanced at the pages and felt a bead of sweaf form on his forehead "you are right. Your team has more than qualified. Kushina, Kakashi do you think them ready?" he asked with a serious expression.

The two jounins looked between themselves and communicated silently for a moment before turning back as one nodding. "The worst that could happen is a few bandits and we can handle them. It'll be a good experience for them" Kushina said. Even with Natsumi lacking in real experience, hell all the recent grads save for Lucifer it seemed, she had no doubt or hesitancy in her daughters skills to fight.

"Send in Tazuna."

When an older man enter his eyes glanced over the group before he spotted Lucifer making them widen. "Its you!" he said pointing his finger at the boy.

"Oh great its you" Lucifer said with a groan.

"Is there something I need to know?" Minato asked with a grimace.

"Ye-"

No there isn't. Break your contractual silence for that mission and you know the consequences Tazuna-san" Lucifer said with a scathing glare shutting the man up. "All you need to know Hokage-sama was I did a mission or two for Tazuna and Nami no Kuni a while back. Lord Katsuro-dono has the contracts. I can say no more and if Tazuna so much as BREATHES a detail then internal clauses within the contracts kicks into effect."

Minato was not comfortable knowing there were details being kept from him but if these were Daimyo sanctioned missions then he couldn't find out the details without the mans clearance. "I see... You are to guard Tazuna while he travels back to Nami no Kuni" the man said stamping his seal on the mission scroll before handing it to Kakashi. "You leave in an hour."

"Tazuna-san, a minute will you?" Lucifer didn't give the man a choice and dragged him aside away from prying ears and eyes. "What in the bijus nine hells are you doing here?! I solved your problem last year!"

"A new one popped up in its place. G has grown too big and corrupt hes going to squeeze us dry! We need the help and we couldn't afford to pay for the missions again we paid for you! We don't have much of a choice!" Tazuna hissed quietly seeing the look on Lucifers face and the motion to keep still so no one could read their lips.

"I knew I should have killed the little fucker when I destroyed Kagetoshis criminal empire."


	8. The lives and death of the demon bros

As the group of seven made their way out of Konoha Lucifer was dutifully ignoring all the questions Natsumi was throwing at him as he read from a coded scroll in his hands. As far as he was concerned no one was worthy of his knowledge except Sakura and Satsuki since he knew they would not betray his trust, not when they had shown him the same respect. Satsuki keyed him into the barrier jutsu that protected the jutsu libray of her clan and gave him unrestricted access to all the techniques her clan had stolen long before her time. Sakura had given him something far more precious that almost made him tear up when she gave it to him, it was a piece of a necklace. He recognized it right away for what it was since he had been the one to gift the stolen necklaces to the pair and kept one piece for himself so that put together it formed a heart of plain silver metal with the word 'Friends' inscribed in a cursive style fancy script. When Sayaka had saved him he had been forced to part with it so the village would believe it was truly his corpse but damn did his miss the nigh barely there weight, not for the contact but the warmth of memories associated with it.

"For the love of Kami SHUT UP! God you have a big mouth! If I haven't looked at you or answered a single question why are you still talking to me like I'm about to? Get it through your thick skull- I DON'T LIKE YOU SO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lucifers tone was so harsh that Natsumi flinched back as well as disturbing Sakura and Satsuki from their thoughts making them jump. He apologized to them who merely bopped him upside the head and glared at Natsumi who they knew was the source of their friends frustration.

"What the kids problem with blondie?" Tazuna asked the silver haired ninja. "He has the look like she pissed in his wheaties or something." The silver hair ninja nearly stumbled in his stride and looked like he was going to comment but didn't as a rather dangerous throat clearing right behind his ear made the bridge builder freeze. "I uh..was asking about your village and more about ninja as a whole I swear!" he said hurriedly. Lucifers wrath was the very last thing he wanted to incur. Just remembering what the kid could when he was being paid was scary enough, trying to guess what he would do when angry chilled his soul.

"Is that so Tazuna-san?" Lucifer asked a little too nicely. "Why you could have asked any of us you know? This guy here spends his day reading a gay porn novel series most of the time. The woman over there tends to the blonde model wannabe. If you really want to ask about shinobi and kunoichi, ask myself Sakura or Satsuki. We may not have decades of experience but we train far more than they actively put in." His smile was far too nice and polite promising pain if Tazuna continued to ask what he had been and made sure the bridge builder knew he'd been asking about him.

"M-my mistake" Tazuna said quickly backing off.

"Intimidating the client Lucifer? Some jounin would write you up and recommend disciplinary action" Kushina said with a grimace. That part of her that saw a ghost of Naruto in the male genin spoke up but she silenced it. He wasn't her son, hell he probably wasn't Uzumaki so she shouldn't be as invested in him as she was... right?

"Not intimidating the client, not at all." Lucifers too nice smile turned the tiniest degree ruthless. "Reminding the client that its best not to dig into my affairs. He has seen first hand the destruction I can sow when I get paid to do so. Now if I was angry and properly motivated... well, thats not good for anyone in any degree whatsoever."

"You need help" Kushina said bluntly, her grimace deepening. The way Lucifer spoke and found it funny to terrify people was something like only the truly messed up Third War vets did since there were few left in active service. "Or a hobby."

"By shinobi standarda I'm normal. Clients just need to stay out of my business. So does your daughter. Teach her no means no and stay out of my life unless we have to be in the same space means stay out of my unless we have to be in the same space. Or I'll do it for you" Lucifer said falling back to Satsuki and Sakura.

Kushinas grimace disappeared as she glanced to Natsumi who glaring holes at Lucifer and the other girls. "Leave them be Natsu-chan" she said pushing her daughter in front of her. The last thing she needed was an all out brawl on a mission outside the village.

Natsumi scowled at her mother before a look of horror etched itself on her face. Kakashi had passed between two puddles and suddenly he was ripped apart by a chain of shuriken held by two guys appearing from the puddles.

"Two out ten. Obvious genjutsu is obvious since it hasn't rained in two months" Lucifer said.

"Eh, thats being too critical Lucifer-kun. Stupid Kiri nuke ninja don't know any better. All they know is that infernal mist and who knows what kind of fumes the idiots have inhaled. Four out ten" Sakura said giving a sagely like nod.

"Make it a middle ground three why don't you two? A two man razor chain isn't common so its purely style points but nothing else. Kakashi-san was wrapped up in his porn anyway" Satsuki said carelessly.

Kushina, along with the others present, openly gawked at the three genin opening critiquing the two nuke nins assassination. How could they just stand there carelessly and rate the execution like it was a god damn dog contest?! Kakashi was dead! Before she could draw her weapon the two nuke nin fell over, one slumped over unconscious due to Kakashi standing behind him and the other dead with Lucifers sword protruding through his chest.

"You should have kept him alive. We could have interrogated him" Kakashi said with a lecturing tone as he tied the surviving nuke nin to a tree with ninja wire.

"Doesn't matter, I know why they're here." Lucifer drew his sword from the dead ninjas chest, ignoring Natsumi puking up her breakfast, after the bright light glowed from within his blade flashed for a moment. "These two along with Zabuza Momchi and an unnamed accomplice with a sub-elemental bloodline have been hired by Gato of Gato Shipping Industries to kill Tazuna-san. The bridge he is building poses a threat to Gatos strangle hold he has on Nami no Kuni. If Tazuna finishes the bridge Gato can't tax Nami to death like he has been and ultimately make the women amd children do things they would never do otherwise to barely scrape by, willingly or through intimidation methods like murder and force" he said darkly, his eyes shifting from amethyst to an ominous rich dark saphire blue.

Kushina and Kakashis eyes narrowed at Lucifers words before their eyes shot over to Tazuna. The man didn't say a word but to hear Gato hired a former Seven Swordsman to kill him would inspire that level of shock.

While Kushina interrogated Tazuna the cycloptic jounin approached the redheaded student. He had questions that would be answered if he had to pull rank and file on the kid. "When did you-"

"The me you have been traveling down the road with is a special clone of mine. Relying on past knowledge you have no clearance to be read in on I followed in the shadows of the trees silently with a chakra suppressing seal so my presence was no more than your average woodland creature. I will not tell you what the flash with my sword was. Press me on it and I will tell you where to shove. Harass me about it and Lord Katsuro-dono will hear it about so quickly I promise you that transplanted thieves eye under your headband will be paste and your chakra sealed by the only level 9 Seal Master currently recorded in the Elemental Nations that works out of the Fire Capital. Now get out of my face unless you can magically produce a document in the next five seconds that has the expressly worded permission to harass me for information classified by the Daimyo himself" Lucifer hissed with gleam in his eyes challenging Kakashi to test him. "My mission record for the Daimyo and my sword are personal private matters you have no business sticking your nose in. Try again to have this conversation or try to force me- just try it. I'd enjoy seeing a shinobi who was part of torturing an innocent child be tortured himself. Tell me Kakashi, would you cry or scream in agony first? I'm sure you remember what that poor boy did. Did you enjoy his suffering before you and the rest of your scum village realized you murdered an innocent soul for what reason?"

Kakashi scowled beneath his mask at the answer and threat. He could write Lucifer up for insubordination by refusal to tell a higher ranking officer what he needed, wanted but he would put it down as needed, to know but the vindictive little bastard would probably demand a Yamanaka to mindwalk to prove him a liar and the penalties for perjury at his rank were far too severe to risk. Then the questions began and hia anger began to spike rapidly. How dare this kid accuse him!?! He knew nothing of what happened! He didn't know what it was like following the aftermath!

The last questions hit him hardest. It was the wake-up the whole village needed. Jiraiya told them death of the child of prophecy had doomed their world as they knew it. The weight was earth shattering as frantic search parties searched for weeks til they came across the body a month later. It couldn't even really be called a body. The majority of skin was gone, internal organs were gone and the skeletal frame was caked in dried blood the multitude of breaks and fractures-nearly every bone had at least a dozen signs of breaks or cracks- was cleanly visible in the sunlight. The only tell tale sign it was Narutos body was the horrible remains of what was a kill me orange jumpsuit badly ripped that saying it was in tatters was grossly exagerating how little of it was left.

"You know nothing of the pain, suffering and torture that our village suffered." Kakashis usually aloof and carefree tone was replaced with a darker borderline sinister one as his visible eye narrowed dangerously.

"I know how the child who possessed the pure soul of a saint was murdered for sins he did not commit. I know how he sought positive attention. I know how much the child contemplated killing himself if it meant making his family and village not hurt him anymore." Lucifer saw Kakashi freeze before he himself turned. "I know the child feared the men and women with the animal masks the most. They tortured him the cruelest. Sodomy by kunai was the dogs MO."


	9. Revelations

Kakashis heart stopped in his chest. How did the kid know?! The only people who knew how he had tortured Naruto before they knew the truth and woke up to the attrocities they committed were Crow, Weasel, Jackal and himself. "You can't prov-"

"I have the memories to prove the conversation I had with the young child. I remember it vividly while only being about six years old myself at the time. You know what made the child not kill himself just to escape the pain?" Lucifer asked looking to the sky.

"Lets keep going everyone! We're continuing the mission!" Kushina saw Kakashi looking pale as he talked to Lucifer and stomped over. 'That boy cauzes trouble no matter what!' she fumed internally.

"Just remember what I said Kakashi. I'd hate for that to happen" Lucifer said with a chipper yet sadistic grin. Oh he metaphorically had Kakashi by the balls with his memories but to have the ever loving fear inspired into him well that was a different story he was enjoying entirely too much.

"Kakashi you alright? You're pale, well paler than normal" Kushina said placing a hand on his shoulder. Whatever Lucifer spooked Kakashi with had to be pretty bad to get a reaction like this.

Kakashi blinked and slapped himself once. Oh Lucifer was a right little bastard deserving of his name. Blackmailing a jounin like him would get the kids chakra sealed in a heartbeat but the knowledge the kid had and the memories to prove it were too great to even report. Add on the kid was under the Daimyos protection and any harm done to him would have untold catastrophic consequences on the village. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thought I saw a ghost" he said.

Kushina scowled darkly at the phrasing but said nothing. Just what ghost was Kakashi referring to? He may have seen a lot considering his record of shooting up the ranks like a bottle rocket from a young age but the paleness that was on his face told her it was more than a ghost. It was like whatever Lucifer said to Kakashi rattled one too many skeletons in the silver haired jounins metaphorical closet. "You sure you're fine? Thats not a haunted look of seeing a ghost. Thats a yanking out a skeleton from the closet look" she said pressing the younger ninja.

"I'm fine, really. Its a ghost that I haven't seen in a long time" Kakashi said ignoring the glare from Lucifer no one else seemed to see but him.

Kushina doubted it but she couldn't press it too much. Kakashi was too much like her husband when it came to skeletons in the closet, the more she pushed to get him to talk the harder he clammed up. "Don't let it affect the mission. Alright lets get moving again!" she called gathering Tazuna and the geninss attention.

For a couple of hours they walked before pitching camp as twilight set in. Setting up camp was a silent affair as the two jounins tried to keep a subtle eye on the sole male genin. He hadn't spoken a word since he had spooked Kakashi and the only people who understood anything were Sakura and Satsuki who seemed to be able to carry a conversation with him from simple lazy gestures on his part. "Alright kids listen up. Lucifer will take the first guard shift followed by Natsumi, Sakura and Satsuki. Kakashi and I will relieve you two" Kushina pointed at the kunoichi pair situated on either side of Lucifer "at midnight for the final shift. We leave at dawn to make it early to Nami. Any questions?" No one made a motion as they ate from the fish Kakashi caught in a stream near by, well nearly everyone. Lucifer munched silently on a field ration bar of his own making citing he didn't trust the scarecrow jounin one lick to poison his portion of the food.

Lucifer shrugged and set himself on the highest vantage point he could see so the road in either direction was visible as was the camp below. "Summoning." A small puff of smoke in front of hin revealed a winged snake like creature. The redhead smiled softly at the creature as it immediately nuzzled up to him and coiled around his neck like a scarf. "Easy Katsuhiro, I'm on a mission outside the village. I figured you're one of the wind users of the contract and thought you might like helping me keep an eye out for threats as well spend a little time away from your annoying brothers" he said laughing quietly.

"You're too kind Uzumaki-sama" Katsuhiro spoke in a quiet young feminine voice.

"Keep it under wraps and call me Lucifer. I haven't decided when to put the plan into action. The clan shall rise again and like I swore to the bosses the honor would be restored to where it should be. As it stands" Lucifer snarled silently glancing down to the camp where Kushina was speaking to Natsumi "the two women down there by the fire pit claim to be true Uzumaki despite breaking the cardinal tenant. The older one claims false head of clan."

Katsuhiro snarled as her fangs bared. Claiming such a title without the heads sword, artifact or summon contract- things one would have to complete The Trials to get- was heresy within the clan. "How dare they!" she hissed tempted to do something entirely out of her kind character.

"Katsuhiro calm down" Lucifer said as he calmly scratched under the serpents chin making her shiver. "I will have the proper paperwork for human legal claim to clan. I have the artifact, sword and summon contract- we know who the real clan leader is. If worst comes to worst I may have to reveal myself early. When I dismiss you once my shift on watch is done I need you to relay a message to the other clans to ready for battle. The bitch down there won't take my claim lying down and I wouldn't put it past her to try something funny."

Katsuhiro shivered again cursing internally as the scratching calmed her bodies anger despite the internal rage still. "Fine..." she muttered laying her head slightly on Lucifers chest so her eyes had a clear view of the road. "Are they the same as..."

"Yes, the very same. The old drunk is of no concern to us and the two girls, the one with the pink hair that smells of cherry blossoms and the black haired one that smells of smoky aged spices, that are away from the fire pit sitting by the stream are the only ones to be trusted. The redhead woman, the blonde girl and the silver cyclops cannot be trusted whatsoever. They were three of my worst tomentors" Lucifer said. He flicked Katsuhiros nose lightly as she hissed. All of the clans in his contract knew of the torment he suffered and how he was only Uzumaki to believe in the founders ideally fully to actually follow them when they saw how fiercely he fought as a child to keep Sakura and Satsuki safe because they were his friends.

"Kill them and be done with it Uzu- I mean Lucifer-sama. They have broken every cardinal law that your clan established. Clan laws state they are to die" Katsuhiro said.

Lucifer grinned maliciously making the summoned serpent shudder at the brief flash of fear. "That would be too good and quick. I have a far greater punishment in mind" he said with a sinister gleam in his eyes.

'Note to self: never piss off Uzumaki-sama' Katsuhiro thought forcing her eyes to constantly rove. She didn't particularly like when her summoner went what she liked to call Black Mode, or rather simply put the deep seated fury, hatred and rage in his heart came through the surface.

Lucifer sensed the quickly approaching presence of Natsumi tree walking up to his branch and dismissed Katsuhiro before the blonde genin saw her. He dropped down off the branch as she opened her mouth saying his watch was over. The scowl on Natsumis face amused him slightly at the curious look in her eyes. There were questions there, questions she wanted to ask but he knew she wouldn't ask due to an aversion of him. Entering the large tent he shared with Sakura and Satsuki he took a meditative position away from the sleeping pair and let his eyes close.

Kakashi and Kushina scowled simultaneously at the sight of Lucifer entering the girls tent. They had the same thought apparently as they pushed the flap open looking in. Instead of seeing him trying to do anything shady to the sleeping girls they saw him meditating on the opposite side of the tent.

"Kindly close the flap and go away. I'm trying to meditate and the girls sleep before their watch" Lucifer said cracking one annoyed eye open.

"We thought-"

"Sakura-san and Satsuki-san trust me implicitly. The two of them trust me so implicitly the three of us have shared a bed after overdoing it training. To imply or insinuate that I would do something so vile" Lucifers open eye was seething with rage "to my friends speaks how lowly you think of me. Just when I thought I couldn't think any lower of you than I had you prove me wrong. Get out."

Sakura and Satsuki stirred a bit blearily opening their eyes. Seeing the two jounins dirty looks aimed at Lucifer they were able to connect the dots and promptly kicked them with a string of curses before zipping the flap. Satsuki laid back down and tried to get back to sleep but was failing, Sakura wasn't fairing any better.

Seeing them struggling to fall back asleep Lucifer moved over between their sleeping bags and laid their heads on his legs lightly. The girls didn't struggle at all with his gentle touch and instead curled up to him. He smiled a little as their eyes closed again, their expressions relaxed. "Go back to sleep you two. I'm right here" he said quietly as he ran his fingers through their hair.

"Wake us when its our shift Lucifer-kun" Satsuki said through a sleepy yawn and nuzzling her head closer to the redhead enjoying his warmth. He was like a mobile space heater or as close to one as human could get. She barely noticed Sakura doing the same through the tiniest slits of her closed eyes. Them both being like this was a testament to their trust in their team mate. He had proved to them he would protect them and never harm them. He had proved after countless sessions of overdone training he respected them not only as kunoichi but as women to take care of them but not overdo it and damage their pride by doing everything for them; sure he would help them home and draw a bath for them if it was a physically taxing session but he would let them manage most on their own will and strength. He was nearby at all times if they asked for his help but he wasn't the overbearing type to assume they need his help due to their gender.

"I will, just get back to sleep you two bakas" Lucifer said laughing quietly and flicking the tops of their heads gently.


	10. First bout

"You know, your team seems to not really like each other" Tazuna said in an off-handed manner the next morning as they packed the camp up. Despite being a drunk he was always an early riser compared to most so he was surprised to see Lucifer was up far earlier than him and in the middle of a few sword katas with his nodaichi.

Sakura let out a scoff as Satsuki rolled her eyes. "Not like each other is putting it mildly. Natsumi, or as you aptly called her blondie, and the two jounins are just three people out of our whole village guilty of the inhumane torture and murder of our first true friend. We" she motioned between herself and Satsuki "hate them with a bloody passion" she said folding her sleeping bag back up and sealing it away into her storage scroll with the rest of her stuff.

Satsuki nodded her head once and scowled at Natsumi who was JUST waking up. Oh how she wished the walking stereotype would just die already. She made all serious kunoichi look bad. "Hn."

"Real conversationalist in the morning huh Satsuki-san?" Lucifer asked as he expectantly held out an open hand. The Uchiha merely rolled her eyes and gave another 'Hn' as she slapped a twenty ryo note in his hand. It had all started out as joke similar to a swear jar where Satsuki had to cough up ten ryo every time she made the one sound her clan was famous for- the infamous I don't want to answer 'Hn'. It had been made to kick her habit of using the defacto response to idiot villagers praising her every little thing she did but they had no such luck. On the bright side Satsuki often footed the bill for meals for the three of them with how many times in a day she would give the single syllable answer.

Tazuna blinked owlishly at the response. A whole village responsible for the torture and murder of a child? He couldn't believe that. "You're pulling my leg right? That can't be true" he said.

"Oh it is. His name was Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze and yes" Sakura pointed to Natsumi and Kushina "he was their son and brother. We don't know why they did it. Naruto-kun was always a kind soul. Never did anyone harm or had a bad word for anyone no matter what they did to him" she said.

"He always tried to help people but no one liked him. They beat him, starved him, tortured him, NEGLECTED HIM" Satsukis cold onyx eyes glared at Kushina fussing over Natsumi "and every other foul thing you could think of or imagine. Sakura-chan and I were the only ones that accepted him.. He was our friend for the warmth he gave us when we needed it most with no expectation to receive kindness in return and gave it back to him a hundred fold. Then they murdered him when we were eight. No one cared for a month til something happened and suddenly it was like all the guilt they suddenly felt collapsed on top of them. When they found what was left of him he was a skeleton covered in dried blood with his organs gone, his flesh mostly rotted away and the clothes he had to steal just so he had something to wear was basically non-existent shreds."

Tazuna felt his stomach drop further and further as the two girls spoke. He had heard Konoha was the strongest and most compassionate of the major five ninja villages. He had heard they treated everyone as family. But to hear this from these girls who had presumably seen this all happen first hand to be able to be able to vaguely detail the gory details... He wasn't sure what to believe now of the "Might compassionate Leaf Village".

"Alright lets get going team. Its another twenty or so miles to Nami and I want to be there by noon" Kakashi said warily noting the look on Tazunas face as he spoke to Sakura and Satsuki. What had the man asked? What had the girls said? Why was there a giant burn hole through the back half of his Icha Icha Paradise he hadn't read yet leaving it unreadable!?!

Lucifer snickered internally at the river of tears as Kakashi mourned his stupid book. 'Serves you right. Wonder who burned the book though? I would've torched the book to ash. Sakura or Satsuki maybe?' he pondered to himself. Feeling a slight warmth a look of understanding passed his eyes in a flash. 'Righteous feminine fury, gotcha.'

About three hours and roughly fifteen miles of undisturbed walking later Lucifer paused in his stride. Something was wrong, very wrong. He heard the faint whistle and cursed. "Hit the deck!" Dragging Sakura, Satsuki and Tazuna he suppressed a scowl as Kushina and Kakashi shunshined Natsunmi safely out of the way of the sword that passed over head.

"I'm impressed brat. Sensing my sword with enough time to warn your team and save your client. Not much natural talent like that these days." On the handle of the zanbatou stood a man with an intimidating look. He wore a scratched Kiri headband, his face was wrapped in bandages obscuring most of his face, arm warmers and baggy cargo pants done in artic style blue and white camo colors.

"Zabuza Momochi, Demon of The Bloody Mist. Former Seven Swordman of Kirigakures Seven Shinobi Swordsmen. We've actually been waiting for you to make your appearance" Lucifer said getting up, his hand on the handle of his sowrd as the girls took up defensive position at his sides. "Wheres your accomplice with the sub-elemental bloodline? We know about you too so migbt as well show yourself."

Zabuza cursed silently. He knew sending the Demon Brothers ahead was a bad idea but Gato sent them ahead any way. They were weak willed excuses of shinobi unable to resist even the lightest torture. "You talk a big game boy" he said disappearing from sight. "Those with the biggest bark are usually the weakest."

Lucifer drew his sword blocking a strike from the massive blade. "And I'm sure a shinobi shrink would tell you that your sword is overcompensating for something. I mean come on man, the thing is massive. Are you trying to make up for little Zabuza? Is he the reason why you can't seem to get a woman to go to bed with you that you have to get little boys instead?" he asked with a smirk seeing Zabuzas eye twitch as the man snarled at him.

"I was going to kill the old man and let you live but now you die brat! No one gets away with insulting me and living to tell the tale!" Zabuza kicked Lucifer in the chest sending the boy skidding back.

"Oh but I do think I will. Limiter Seal Partial Release: Level Three." Lucifer grinned viciously as he flared chakra through glowing seals on his arms.

Just as Zabuza swung his sword at him again a burst of chakra, dense chakra, made a wall between them blinding the nuke nin. When the man could see again there was a very different opponent before him. Instead of the redheaded punk there was a young man who looked every bit as deadly he did. He was just under six foot by guestimate approximation, instead of the dark red hair was instead a wheat blonde mop of long hair reaching just shy of his mid back, cold cruel golden eyes replaced amethyst ones and the very last noteable feature were that his canines were pronounced more akin to fangs. "Oh I'm so scared kid. Whatever will I do now that you look different?" he asked sarcastically as he swung his blade with every intention to cleave the kids head off.

"You fear for your life." Lucifer smirked darkly as he caught the blade of the zanbatou in his hand and squeezed. The metal bent and cracked under his grip as Zabuzas eyes widened. He had a nagging voice screaming in his head to run but he ignored it. The guy before him looked familiar but where and why?

As Lucifer and Zabuza had a battle of swords the other Leaf ninja stared with wide eyes. Not only was Lucifer apparently holding back a lot of his strength, he was fighting Zabuza equally so it said a lot, but Kushina and Kakashi shared a worried look. They knew that the need to use Limiter Seals meant the kid was WAY stronger than he appeared or let on. The only people to use Limiter Seals were Kages, natural born Uzumaki and special ops forces so the kids use of them meant he had to be near powerful enough in raw power as one of the three above. Even if he was near equal in raw power having LEVELS of Limiter Seals was more worrying signalling staggering amounts of chakra and power he shouldn't possess at his age.

Sakura and Satsuki were floored as they watched the fight with rapt attention from their defensive positions beside Tazuna. Lucifer told them he held back a lot of his power to not harm them more than necessary to drive them to be better but to see it first hand JUST HOW MUCH shocked them. To be holding back so much power it suppressed a natural form was unreal to them.

"You tell Gato I'll kill that midget if this shit keeps up! Its bad enough I have to deal with two Uzumaki who broke their own clans cardinal rule on a daily basis but I'm not dealing with a reject Seven Sword on top of it!" Lucifer landed a rather deep and vicious cut kick combo to Zabuzas abdomen that sent the man crashing through four trees.

Zabuza hacked up blood forcing himself up onto his feet. "Who.. Who are you boy? I know you but I can't place a name" he asked panting and clutching the bleeding wound on his chest.

"Lucifer Morningstar though you might know me better by my bingo book titles" Kakashi and Kushinas eyes widened as the sword in Lucifers hands was enveloped in ghostly white chakra " The Sword Thief or the more famous one I find particularly unimaginitve- The Spirit Swordsman. Spirit Release: Void Slash(1)." From the blade a wave of chakra arced toward Zabuza who barely dodged the lightning fast attack, the ground underneath fissuring under the intensity of the attack.

"This isn't over boy! Your number and the old mans are mine!" Zabuza was gone in a flash leaving no trace he was there at all.

"Damn I was hoping to kill him and take his sword.." Lucifer pouted as he reapplied the Limiter Seal taking back his former appearance. Seeing the eyes all focused on him he sweatdropped at the gobsmacked expresssions. "Classified information to be told at the Daimyos discretion" he said already seeing that the jounins were ready to pounce and interrogate him.

(1)- yea its basically getsuga tensho only white in color

A/N: serious question- would anyone want to an read omake chapter to see how bad the abuse was as a kid for Naruto/Lucifer? I promise it would be plot relevent


	11. Wait you two what!

When they reached Nami Lucifer was beyond disgusted with what he saw. The amount of half starved to death children, the burned down remains of business and hung corpses made his blood boil. Unconsciously his KI, incredibly potent for his age due to his training, was leaking out making it hard to breathe for the people around him. A hard grip on either side of him told him of Sakura and Satsukis trouble breathing forcing him to reign in his KI for their sake but could not stop the trembling rage. "I saved this village from assholes like Kagetoshi from doing this shit last year... I kill one tyrant for a weaselly bastard to take his place.. I will not make that mistake again." His voice had an incredibly dark edge as Tazuna led them toward his home.

"Father! You're safe!" Tsunami latched onto Tazuna and hugged him tightly. She had feared the worst knowing the risk they ran lying about a missions dangers but with next to no money that they could barely afford a C-rank it was their only choice. Spotting the team of ninjas she was surprised by there only being one man. That was until her eyes landed on Lucifer making her eyes widen immensely. Scrambling to let go of her dad she bowed deeply at the waist. "Lucifer-sama, its an honor to be in your presence once more."

"Enough of that Tsunami" Lucifer said waving off the gesture and honorable greeting. "I told everyone when I was here last not to do that shit. I was doing my job then and I am doing my job now. Gato will pay for this and Nami will get back on its feet just like after Kagetoshi." He ignored Kushina and Kakashis questioning glare. "I have to remind you like I did your dad as I will the rest of the village, you aren't contractually allowed to tell them anything about the specifics of what I did under any circumstances. I like you Tsunami since you're a humble conversationalist and I like Nami, its a quaint place when shit lords aren't trying to kill it, so I really rather not have the internal clauses for breach of COS to affect Nami negatively."

Tsunami grimaced remembering just what the young man had done and nodded her head. "I wasn't planning on it. That was bloody business all of Nami would rather forget" she said as she glanced to the side. The whole matter with Kagetoshi was a bitter pill in the mouth of all of Nami that was best left forgotten by their choice.

Kushina huffed and gave Lucifer an impassive glare. The kid was a pain in the ass at every turn. His full skills were classified by the Daimyo. His missions were classified by the Daimyo. Even saying names wouldn't get them anywhere. "Get situated upstairs. We have to scout out the town for threats and figure out a schedule to protect Tazuna while he finishes his bridge" she said crossing her arms under her chest.

"The only who needs situating is Natsumi-san. Sakura, Lucifer-kun and I travel with our supplies in sealing scrolls or sealing tattoos on our bodies" Satsuki said leaning her back against the wall. Sakura joined her and yawned slightly though only Satsuki and Lucifer would recognize it as a small signal.

Kakashi scowled under his mask watching the trio boredly wait for Natsumi to sort out her pack upstairs. Lucifer had stepped up the girls own already progressive training that if they were a little older and more experienced he would safely pin them as all chunin at least. 'Just who are you really Lucifer Morningstar?' he asked with a mental glare. The kid possessed too much skill even for an apprentice to overtake the role of the Daimyos head of security and too much power to be a genin.

Kushina noticed the look on Kakashis face and pulled him aside. "You're thinking the same thing about him I am right" she said without any preamble. Lucifer set off too many red flags and alarms in her mind but he hadn't done anything to prove him a spy or any kind of saboteur. Of course that raised its own red flag despite her husband, the most renowned seal master in the Elemental Nations second only to the level 9 Seal Master in the Capital, telling her and every other jounin ninja suspicious of the genin everything he showed from the Daimyo was legit. The kid was too smart. He was far too fast. He was too strong for even seasoned chunins required to take the jounin exams based off how easily he fought Zabuza. Most importantly possessed too much chakra for his age. "Something is up with him. Remember how you said you saw a ghost talking to him when we left Konoha? I have too and its not pleasant" she said scowling as she kept her voice low.

Kakashi glanced at Kushina and raised an eyebrow. "What kind of ghost?" he asked cautiously.

"A ghost of every sin we committed in fear and blind stupidity" Kushina said with a look that was far too grim. "A ghost that says he knows much more than what he lets on."

Kakashi tensed and grimaced. "My thoughts exactly. We need to keep a closer eye on him" he said as Natsumi came downstairs.

"Tazuna-san do you still possess the village blueprint I used to lay out my systematic dismemberment of that scum den last year?" Lucifer asked as he cracked his neck. He saw Tazuna nod and disappeared for a moment before returning with an architects tube. Taking it from the man he opened it drawing out two sheets. Laying them down one on top of the other he began to cross out marked buildings at seemingly random. "Gather round."

Kakashi looked at the overlaid village blueprints and raised his eyebrow at the marked buildings crossed out. "And this is?" he asked.

"The village layout from the architectural standpoint. I used these blueprints last year when I did a mission or two here. Thats not important though. Every building symbol with an 'X' has been destroyed in some fashion from my observations on the way here. If we want to get any information we would best start here and I suggest sending me or Kakashi to do it" Lucifer said tapping a large building at the center of town. "It used to be a bar but by all accounts of my observations its been turned into a whore house. I saw thugs no doubt employed Gato going in strapped with swords lured in by provocatively dressed women. If Kakashi or I can abduct and interrogate a few thugs we can get a clearer view of just how many thugs Gato employs and potentially where hes based out of. Not saying anything against Sakura, Satsuki or I loathe to say even you Kushina-san since you three can defend yourselves but you let your daughter near there and shes a goner. They'll sniff her out a mile away. Plus if its a guy entering its business as usual. Turn it around and one of you three enters its supect and probable they will try to force you into the same situation, they won't win but they'll try to nonetheless."

Kushina bristled internally at Lucifers words but didn't deny his reasoning. "Kakashi should go in. Hes older so it won't be as fishy as you going in instead" she said.

Sakura and Satsuki scowled at Lucifer feeling a jealous twinge. Even if it was mission related the idea of another hussy touching their Lucifer-kun pissed them off. "I hate to say we agree with her Lucifer-kun but shes right. A hopeless pervert like Kakashi is the type they'd expect to frequent a brothel. If you went in they'd keep an eye on you like a hawk. Kakashi won't raise an eyebrow considering. Plus his experience makes exfil of abducted targets faster and cleaner leaving them none the wiser til its too late. No offense" Satsuki said.

Lucifer scowled. "None taken, they are valid points. Tell us you have a non-identifiable bandana or headband to hide your eye. I don't have to tell you'd jeapordize the mission intel if you walk in with your village headband" he said looking to Kakashi.

Kakashi looked around with a narrow gaze. So he was a pervert. So he read Icha Icha religiously with nary a fuck given about public perception. That DID NOT make him the type of pervert to go to a brothel for a cheap fuck. "I refuse."

"Ok then, lets prep our blonde hopeless case and hope they don't mak-"

"Kakashi you're doing it or so help me I swear I will force Jiraiya to NEVER write that smut you worship ever again" Kushina growled dangerously as her hair floated behind her seperated into nine tail like sections. Seeing the silver haired jounin nod nervously and bolt she forced herself to calm down. "You're an insufferable manipulative ass Lucifer."

"Its a skill every ninja should have honed to a fine edge. Now we wait" Lucifer said unsealing a shogi board from a seal on his wrist once he took a seat. Sakura took a seat opposite him and claimed the white pieces for herself. For the next two hours he and Sakura played an even match matching lost piece for lost piece and promotion for promotion. "Sorry to say Sakura-san but this" he moved his knight "is checkmate."

Sakura narrowly observed the board trying to find a move to save her king but found none. "It seems so Lucifer-kun, I concede another loss to the master" she said rolling her eyes sarcastically but smirked a little. She liked the challenge since Lucifer presented since he was unpredictable unlike Satsuki. "And how many times do Satsu-chan and I have to tell you don't have to be so formal with us? We are friends aren't we?" she asked giving him the misty eyed puppy dog look that most men couldn't resist.

Lucifer groaned internally and reached a hand across the board. "We are but being so familiar is...strange to me considering all my friends at the capital were formal like I am and calling a girl friend an affectionate term meant more than just being friends. I wouldn't want to mislead either of you to think something untrue and end up hurting you two" he said gently wiping the misty edge of Sakuras eyes. He was kicking himself mentally but that was for self loathing later on and for once he was glad to be alone in a room of women, women not including Kushina and Natsumi. "Not when you two mean the world to me already."

Satsuki smiled softly and draped her arms around Lucifers neck. "What if we said the same about you?" she asked quietly as she nuzzled the top of his head. One of her eyes met Sakuras giving her a look to which she received in return a nod. "If this is about not wanting to lead either of us on and end up breaking one of our hearts by choosing one over the other Lucifer-kun..."

"We don't mind sharing" Sakura said leaning across the board between them and kissed him softly for a moment.


	12. Tallying sins and punishment

Lucifers eyes were wide as saucers as he tried to process the new information as well as the light and sweet taste of Sakuras lips. They didn't mind sharing? Once his mind came back to speed he heard the two girls giggling.

"Sakura is right Lucifer-kun. We've seen how you look at us. Protective, supportive beyond what is expected of you as our team mate and friend but more importantly than that you care about us. Not just as your friends. Not just as your team mates. But you really care about US and what we want. We've given you every chance to be like other guys and perv on us but you didn't" Satsuki said as she trailed her nose down the side of his head before gently nibbling on the edge of his ear. "You treat us like the only women in the world who matter to you."

'You are the only two who matter in the world to me beside Sayaka' Lucifer thought shivering.

"You make us feel safe and warm just like Naruto-kun used to. You don't look at us and see little girls in need of protecting. You see us as your equal and you show us that respect day after day. If we were to trust anyone to look after what matters most, to look after our hearts" Sakura nuzzled her cheek against his "we'd only trust you and Naruto-kun if he was alive today since you two are nearly the same in every way that matters. So close your eyes and kiss us, we know you have been wanting to badly" she teased with a playful but coy purr.

Lucifer growled softly as a shiver raced down his spine. It was so temtping what they were dangling in front of him. But could he in good conscious do it knowing he would reveal his true identity soon enough? It could lead to them hating him for lying to them...But it had been for their safety he'd done it!

"Less thinking more kissing" Satsuki whispered before capturing Lucifers lips in a kiss. She shuddered a little finding the first taste of him to be rather..enticing. It wasn't quite sweet or spicy but was a rather savory kind of faintly smoky. "You do like us like we do you, don't you Lucifer-kun?" she asked sounding hurt, her lips faintly brushing his.

Lucifers eyes softened as he threaded a hand into Satsuki and Sakuras hair as he leaned forward a hair and kissed the dark haired girl. It was light and chaste but undeniable in the feeling he did feel the same about her as she did him. "I do and I don't want either of you to doubt that ever. Any guy or girl would be blessed to have either of you, let alone both of you, love them in any capacity. I'm just worried you two might change those feelings once you learn certain thinge about me. Things you may not like and be upset with me for when they come to light" he said quietly.

"Lucifer-kun, we signed up to be hired killers knowing our lives will hold secrets and skeletons we may never be able to fully bury" Sakura said turning his head so their eyes met. "But no secret, no skeleton in your closet will change that we care about you. We promise you that here and now." A soft smile came to her lips as her eyes glowed with sincerity as Satsuki nuzzled his cheek confirming the gentle words.

"That means a lot coming from you two... Thank you Sakura-chan, Satsuki-chan" Lucifer said he gave them both a tiny heartfelt smile before stealing a kiss from the both of them that stole their breaths away. "I promise to do everything I can not to break your hearts and prove I'm deserving of every drop of your affections. And I never break my promises." Hearing footsteps approaching he almost pouted as Sakura and Satsuki backed off with a scowl.

"We can pick up when dangers passed, promise" Satsuki said as she took Sakuras seat on the opposite side of the shogi board. "Kakashi-san, any useful intel you get?"

"Not unless you count the number of women here who have turned to being hookers and strippers unwillingly to scrape by thanks to Gato" Kakashi said with an irritated tone. "Let me see that village blueprint." Snatching the two sheets he scanned over before thrusting finger on a large rectangular building. "Whats this building approximately three miles outside the village?" he asked Lucifer.

"That should be an old storage warehouse. When I was here last that thing was pad locked to hell and guarded something fierce by some sort of animal or a person with a bloodline that lets them temporarily adopt the strength of animal transformations. Why? Is it important?" Lucifer asked.

"I heard a thug talking to his buddy about Gato doing an inspection of his merc army tomorrow at what they called 'the depot'. This building is the only one big enough to support standing room for that many people" Kakashi said.

"Theres an easy access skylight on the roof. We can get in, kill the mercenaries, torture Gato for the location of his base and where he keeps the valuables before I kill the little fuck. Didn't kill him when I had the chance and I knew he was a bad egg, I will not let him live after this shit" Lucifer said with a grimace.

"There are other ways to deal with people like Gato without killi-"

"And what would you suggest? Leave his fate to be decided by the people of Nami? They'll demand his execution. Leave his punishment to the new Daimyo of Nami? They'll execute him. He's going to die anyway you throw the dice Kakashi" Lucifer aaid cutting off the jounin. "I know it and so do you, stop trying to kid yourself. Scum like him who make honest women have to resort to whoring themselves out in an island nation hes strangling dry to low life thug scum and samurai rejects just to put a scrap of food on the table for their kids of family, never mind its just enough for their kids or family and not themselves, deserves to be strung up publicly and murdered for his crimes."

Kushina scowled internally at Lucifers words, what she had heard him say anyway. "I'm not saying I agree with him Kakashi but hes somewhat right. No matter the way you slice it Gato will end up dead by the time we leave here. We deal with the mercenaries leaving the tyrant defenseless and that leaves him utterly at the mercy of everyone whose lives he has destroyed; I highly doubt theres any mercy in their hearts" she said crossing her arms across her chest.

"Damn right theres no mercy. If we catch that midget alone we'll put him through the most excruciating torture we can imagine and prolong it til the bastard bleeds out from an excessive amount of injuries most doctors would be astounded he was alive for as long as he was. He'll feel every ounce of agony we've been forced to feel" Tsunami muttered to herself. Oh she hated the bastard tyrant with a passion and if she got her hands on the excuse of a man she had sadistic ideas that made her fellow villagers ideas seem tame.

"See, theres my proof" Kushina said nodding her head to Tsunami. "I have no love for tyrants like Gato but if we kill him at least it will quick, something he doesn't deserve by any measure, but definitely far better than a slow tortuous death fueled by unbridled rage and fury as righteously due as it is."

Lucifer gave Tsunami and Tazuna a shooing flicker of his eyes. He'd talk to them later after they talked strategy about crashing this mercenary army inspection. After being quasi interrogated about his knowledge of the warehouses layout, the only details he could give was window locations and speculation to loose internal layout but nothing solid, from his last visit to Nami he was beginning to lose his patience quickly. "Enough! Ask me questions since this is all mission relevant but don't fuckin demand answers like I'm some fuckin kind of enemy prisoner" he snarled as his KI leaked out aimed at Kakashi and Kushina. If this kept up he would attack the jounin pair if he had to so that they would stop treating him like a prisoner.

Sakura and Satsuki scowled with hard pointed glares at the jounins. Lucifer was not the tyrant strangling a country dry to its death here, Gato was. Lucifer may know more about the village them but that did not grant them the right to demand a million answers from him without giving him a moment to speak. "Give him a minute to speak damn it. You're asking him a million questions and getting annoyed at not getting answers because you're not giving him a second to do so. And you're supposed to be jounin professionals" Sakura said with a tone borderlining on insubordinate.

Lucifers eyes glanced between the girls on either side of him and gave a wave of his hand to silence them both before they said something to warrant disciplinary action. "You have what I know. This interrogation is over. Plan how you like to do this, I already know how I would and I'm willing to bet my plan gets shit done quicker" he said standing up from the couch.

"And what would you do?" Kushina asked knowing she mostly likely wouldn't like the answer.

"One word: genocide." Lucifer said as he walked away. "Murder, rape, extortion- their crimes deserve it as much if not more so than Gato. He may have ordered attacks and whats happened but I'm willing to bet you the scum he employs has done it of their own free will outside of ordered instances. They don't deserve to live just like Gato doesn't. If you don't end their lives I will. That is not a threat, that is a promise." He exited out the front door to have some time alone to collect his thoughts.

Sakura and Satsuki grimaced deeply at the prospect of what Lucifer was suggesting. They agreed the thugs didn't deserve mercy but to massacre them all was a gruesome thought.

"We're not going to kill them all are we kaa-san, Kakashi onii-san?" Natsumi asked look a bit sick at just the thought of it.

"We may have to" Kakashi said with a dull gaze. He didn't want to bloody Sakura, Satsuki and certainly not Natsumis hands on their first mission out of the village but Lucifer might force them to. Even if it would be good for them in the end to get their first kill out of the way it would be a pain in the ass. Then theres the whole having to get them to speak to a Yamanaka to make sure they cope well afterwards. It was just a pain in the ass altogether.

Kushina glared at the door and notched another red flag on her mental counter. Lucifer kept becoming more and more suspicious to her. Between his knowledge, strength, speed, chakra and now this- she didn't know what to make of the boy but her suppressed side that saw Naruto in Lucifer was screaming which was the biggest red flag on the counter. WHY WAS HE SO FAMILIAR?! She was going to go mad if she didn't get an answer.


	13. Under the stars

Several hours of solitary training with his swords and recon on the warehouse to cement his knowledge before booby trapping obvious exits with overkill amounts of disguised explosive tags, though he would not admit it out loud to the jounins, later Lucifer returned to the house as Tsunami managed to finish up dinner. While Tazuna was talking about something the redhead was silent as he picked at his food. He could feel the eyes on him but with his mind roaming his current thoughts it was best he did not speak his mind. Some little kid, Tsunamis son Inari if memory served, said something about not knowing anything about suffering. Before he could jump down the kids throat Sakura, Satsuki and surprisingly Tazuna laid into him. Albeit they sugarcoated just how entirely bad his childhood was before his 'death' it was still fairly gruesome for vague.

"Just because you suffer one particular form or fashion doesn't mean you suffer the most. There will always be someone who bears a cross they cannot drag, by the weight of their own sins or not, and their will always be people better off than you. Being a ninja is no easy task, especially not being me when I want to get what I want. As ninja we could scrub our hands raw to the bone and even if its not visible on our skin our hands are stained with blood. Blood spilled for civilians like you so that the majority of the time your lives are pain and stress free" Lucifer said with a flat tone. "Forgive me Tsunami-san but I've seemed to have lost my appetite, help yourself anyone else who wants more." Standing from the chair he made his way outside ignoring his plate as Natsumi speared his untouched fish despite Kushinas look.

"Wha? He said have at it" Natsumi said after swallowing a mouth of rice and fish.

Sakura and Satsuki were impassive watching their excuse of a team mate. Natsumi was completely and utterly hopeless that the pair wondered why she was even passed beyond she was the Yondaimes daughter when she showed no ninja aptitude at all. Flashing her eyes one girl nodded to the other and stood retreating to the kitchen washing their dishes quickly. "Thank you for dinner Tsunami-san, it was delicious" Sakura said inclining her head respectfully as Satsuki bowed her own. "If you'll excuse us we're going up after him."

"Up after him? Lucifer-sama you mean? Hes probably on the roof if you're worried about him. He spent every night on the roof under the stars when he was here last year and particularly if he felt need to get away from anyone" Tsunami said looking at the pair blinking.

"We figured as much. Lucifer-kun has the same habit back in the village of laying on the roof at night to get away from it all so to speak. Sakura, lets go" Satsuki said grabbing her friends wrist and pulled lightly. Stopping at the door she paused looking back at the table. "And when we get back to the village we, me Sakura and Lucifer-kun, are petitioning the Hokage for a new team consieting of the three of us and a handler of his choosing since we don't need remedial new genin training. You two obviously have a handful just trying to spoon feed Natsumi basic skills that its a waste of our time trying to do anything under this farce of leadership."

Sakura pulled Satsuki out before the pair jumped to the roof. "All three of us agreed to wait til we actually got back to the village after this mission to drop the bombshell" the pink hair girl said with a scowl. "With our abysmal luck they'll actually 'teach' us something so we can't claim them completely inept and incompetent so as to block our petition."

"Very astute and in most cases right Sakura-chan but the pair of them are too worried about me to be that intelligent" Lucifer said as he sat propped against the blade jammed into soft wood so that it stood straight up. "As far as they're concerned I'm too strong, fast, smart, overall powerful and possess too much chakra. I wouldn't put it past Kushina-san to think me a spy despite all my paperwork being legitimate. But I know you two trust me implicitly." His eyes came down from the stars and had a lightness to them as he motioned them closer to him.

Sakura scowled at Lucifers words concerning the jounin pair but saw his reasoning. If she was in their shoes she would be suspicious all the same as them. Once in a generation prodigies like Lucifer were extremely unheard of, the ones with his degree of knowledge and discipline were anyway. "Of couse we do" she said as the scowl melted into a gentle affectionate smile as strolled over to him and snuggled up to one side laying her head on his chest while Satsuki did the same to the other side.

"Why wouldn't we after all you do for us Lucifer-kun" Satsuki said rhetorically. "Hell you already act like you're our husband or lover with how gentle yet firm you are with us." She blushed slightly at her own comment but to her mind it was true already. Lucifer treated her and Sakura like his wives already that her feelings, already affectionate and bordering on actual love love, already cemented in her mind that he was basically their husband minus the legal bullshit; Sakura thought the same way since one particular conversation had surfaced after the three of them had broken off after he left to go home after training. Oh they'd been embarrassed to admit to both crushing on Lucifer, and spawning a momentary evil glare, before they came to their senses sparking a surprisingly deep heart to heart about more than just Lucifer.

"If thats the case I've definitely yet to receive the full benefits package" Lucifer said coyly. All he got in response were two sharp punches to his legs with stammered accusations of being a pervert from both blushing girls making him laugh quietly. "Every human being is a pervert dears. Its just a question of HOW PERVERTED is an individual. Besides that" he tilted Sakura and Satsukis faces up despite the attempts to hide their embarrassment and gave them a soft loving smile that melted their hearts "you two are far more beautiful than you normally are with a blush and I mean that sincerely from the bottom of my heart."

Sakuras blush intensified as Lucifer got all sappy on them while Satsuki stole a kiss off him. "We need to sleep Cassanova or else whatever the unprofessionals have planned will fail. The three of us can suck face once the asshole Gato is dead or deposed, whichever comes first" she said tugging on the raven haired girl seperating pair despite a whining pout. With another tug to get the both of them to their feet Sakura looked down at Lucifer who looked a little amused.

"You two go lay down, I'll be down in a few minutes. I need a couple of minutes to myself to think about some things that need serious consideration" Lucifer said as he sheathed his sword and shifted his position so he was laying flat on the roof. "Don't worry, I won't be more than five minutes. Ten minutes tops I promise." His eyes glowed with a sincere promise that seemed to convince them to go.

"Well it better be a fast ten minutes. Sakura and I need our warm cuddle pillow to sleep well" Satsuki said pouting. On a level she was acting spoiled and she knew that but Lucifer spoiled her and Sakura that she couldn't help it.

"I promise, now go get ready for bed and lay down. I'll crawl in once I change for bed after I come in" Lucifer said making a shooing motion. Once he was alone the boy sighed as he covered his eyes. "I have a horrible feeling Sayaka and I don't like it one iota." He ignored his sword changing form into the spirit that saved his life.

"You need to relax master. I know you have a bad feeling since I sense in the air too but you must restrain letting it get to you so" Sayaka said as she looked up at the moon.

"Easy for you to say. I have two jounin who are suspicious of me, a soon to be equally suspicious Kage once he reads our mission report revealing my bingo book identity and if this forboding feeling is any sign I'll not only have the girls incredibly pissed off me but an entire village clammoring for forgivness I am in no mood to give the fuckers" Lucifer snarled knowing his 'family' would be begging the most out of everyone.

"You could use the memory dilution solution in their drinks to distort their recollection of that encounter. If they both are uncertain of recollecting details then it won't be given credit as truth" Sayaka suggested.

"Yamanakas can use their clan techniques to sift through the dilution like that. I'm screwed." Lucifer grimaced darkly at the stars before sitting up. Sayaka said nothing and shook her head to his displeasure. Of course he was screwed unless he used the one memory jutsu he learned to wipe everyones memory of them learning about his bingo book identity and his true appearance but even that was risky.

"Sleep on it master. Worst comes to worst use the memory binding jutsu I taught you" Sayaka said as she changed back into her sword form and floated for a moment in the air before his hand wrapped around the grip.

Entering the house Lucifer changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top before climbing into the bed Sakura and Satsuki shared. Seeing the two girls curled up to each other made him smile softly. Sakura had her face restes in the crook of Satsukis neck with one arm around the raven haired girls waist. Gently seperating the pair despite the groans he climbed between them, as was protocol by now when the three of them shared a bed, and wrapped an arm around each girl as they snuggled into his sides. "Sleep well you two" he said quietly as they nuzzled into his chest sighing contently.

"Night Lucifer-kun" the pair mumbled sleepily at the same time.

"Night my angels." Lucifer cursed internally slipping up but Sakura and Satsuki were already asleep they didn't hear him. He was making too many slip ups using things he said to them as Naruto. 'Two weeks.. Two weeks man, hold it together and you can tell them the truth' he thought smacking himself mentally.


	14. Ninety nine problems down, one to go

To say that the plan for ambushing and dealing with Gato plus his mercenary army was crap was an understatement. Kakashi and Kushina wanted to more or less toss in smoke bombs filled with knock-out gas to render the mercs unconscious, tie them up and make off with Gato for interrogation. "And then what? Gato is not stupid despite his short sightedness" Lucifer challenged early the next morning as the team sat around the table looking over the warehous schematics.

"And what would you do? Oh right, mindless murder" Natsumi said with a scowl and a dark look. "Killing isn't the only solut-"

"We aren't heroes so shut the hell up with your idealistic bullshit. Your parents have seem to have coddled you to believe theres always some sort of non-violent or diplomatic way to solve everything. New flash for you princess" Lucifers eyes rolled her as his voice dripped heavily with sarcasm "these 'people' are not innocent people. They are murderers, rapists and thieves who have preyed on the good people here who have suffered needlessly for one little fuckers greed. They would be executed by Hi no Kuni laws. When I was here last year, crimes like this were punished by execution. This is due justice under the letter of the law down to the fucking period" he said with a twitchy eyebrow.

Sakura and Satsuki sat by silently listening as they sipped tea. Lucifer was the expert here and both kunoichi understood that. He had more knowledge of the laws, well what was the laws of Nami, than the other ninja present. The fact Natsumi was still spouting the same peaceful rhetoric she did during their time in the academy made them sick. If the girl wanted to talk peace and things of that nature she needed to change careers to be a politician, spouting peace and non-violence as a ninja would get the blonde dead.

"Besides I would light the warehous up with explosive tags and blow it sky high with all the mercenaris inside as Gatos being escorted up to it. Take out the warehouse and the bulk of his army is going to put the fear of god in Gato. Cowards like him always keep a reserve force at their main encampment. We follow as he flees with his escorts to their base, kill the reserve force, ransack all the valuable, torture him for information like safe codes to what we cant readily take without effort and then kill Gato himself" Lucifer continued on as Natsumis look kept getting darker the more he spoke. "Don't fuckin look at me like that you sheltered brat. If you want a job to preach understanding, non-violence and diplomacy become a politician like every other simple minded civilian that doesn't want to bloody their hands otherwise pull on your big girl panties and grow the fuck up. We are soldiers, we are KILLERS by trade. Get used to it." He shoved back in his seat and stood up. "Kakashi, Kushina- when we are ready to assalt the warehouse and rid Nami of the scum let us know. Sakura, Satsuki time to train" he said glancing to his girlfriends.

The girls nodded and finished their tea before joining Lucifer as he walked outside.

Kakashi had a blank expression as Kushina seemed to be half listening to Natsumi rant about Lucifer being a bloody brute. "Shut up Natsumi." The short sentence silenced the twelve year old who looked at him shocked. "I agree Lucifers conclusion is bloody but there is no diplomatic or non-violent way to solve this. People will die either way, be it the people of Nami for us not doing anything and allowing the mercenaries Gato hired to live or the mercenaries and Gato die saving Nami. Make a choice Natsumi, save the lives of good honest people or the lives of murdering rapists and thieves." His tone was hard making the girl pale amd flinch.

"I-its not as black and whi-"

"There is no shade of grey to weasel around. I hate to agree with Lucifer but change your career to a politician. Your inability to set aside your emotions to do what is necessary is going to cost people their lives and that guilt as well as their blood will be on your hands. I hope you'll be able to sleep soundly knowing you letting a murdering thug who has no problem raping women and children led to the death of others." Kakashi got up and left leaving the mother-daughter pair stunned at the table.

In the backyard Lucifer watched over the girls as they sparred with blunted practice swords. Sakura seemed to be slightly better than Satsuki, something he attributed to her CQC advantage and prefering to fight in close quarters, while the raven haired girl did reasonably well managing to keep fairly even with her friend. "Alright you two, enou-"

Kakashi grabbed Lucifers shoulder and pulled him aside. "Lets get this done and settled. I have had enough sitting around and loathesome as it is you present a far more logical choice" he said with a gruff tone. Admitting a genin had a far more logical view was a blow to his pride.

"Sakura, Satsuki stay here and practice. Kakashi and I need to go do something" Lucifer said. The pair of kunoichi looked at him questioningly. "We'll be back shortly. Its nothing big." The skeptical looks made him roll his eyes. "Trust me."

Sakura sighed to herself. "Fine but you owe us. You're cooking for us when we get back to the village" she said with her drawn into a thin line.

"Yes dears" Lucifer said rolling his eyes. Before the kunoichi pair were able to get an indignant reply out the redhead grabbed Kakashis arm and made them vanish into thin air. When they reappeared outside the warehouse the silver haired jounin was disorientated for a moment. "Last night I did a bit of recon while I was out. I chanced upon a look out that was coralling mercs in to dump...'goods' off." The disgust in his voice was palpable. "I also happened to overhear the inspection was to be done around noon. Since its nearly 11:30 now I would suspecct that Gato-"

"Is coming down the road now." Kakashi yanked them into the tree line as the midget tyrant could be seen in the distance. What he was talking about to his guard detail he couldn't hear but the satisfied dark smirks on the thugs faces gave the silver haired jounin a bad feeling.

"Three... Two... One..." Lucifer activated the explosive tags when Gato and his thug detail were close enough to witness the destruction. The dying screams as the gas canisters exploded into shrapnel killing mercenaries was like an orchesta of death and as much as he tried to he couldn't stop a partial smirk from coming to his face seeing the building collapse on the corpses and dying bodies of the mercenaris inside, Gatos horrified face transfixed on the warehouse.

Kakashi glared at Lucifer giving him a look that said he would get answers later before getting to work. The thugs that were 'protecting' Gato didn't last a minute before the silver haired jounin and crimson haired genin were standing before the tyrant covered with swatches of blood across their clothes. "Hello Gato, we're going to have a nice long chat about the things you've done to the people of Nami and how you WILL repay for all the suffering you've caused."

Lucifer smirked darkly as the tyrant of a man shaking in front of them. "Gato, Gato, Gato... What did I warn about last year?" he asked with a slow purposeful stride toward the man. He ignored the stammered response as he hoisted the man into the air by his suit jacket. "Kagetoshi was a bad guy but you, you make him look like a saint." The struggling made the smirk on the redheads face grow. "A kings ransom for allowing shops to operate. A bigger kings ransom for protection fees from your thugs. Murdering the men who stand up to you as a scare tactic to make people of Nami scared to even breathe the wrong way in your direction. I should kill you like I did Kagetoshi. You do remember how I did that right?" he asked.

Kalashi wisely pulled Gato from Lucifers grip. "Allow me Lucifer. We actually need him alive not a corpse" the jounin said shaking his head. "Don't thank me you filth." As he dragged Gato away at kunai point he shouted an order over his shoulder to the redhead about returning to Tazunas house.

Lucifer scowled since he could kill Gato and still extract the information from the dead mans head but said nothing. Returning to the house with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes as he pondered over a particular thought he failed to notice Sakura and Satsuki looking at him with an odd look in their eyes.

"Ryo for your thoughts?" Sakura asked. "And why you have blood on your clothes."

Satsuki made a noise to confirm she had the same thought was circulating in her mind. Lucifer and Kakasi were gone no more than ten minutes for Kamis sake and their boyfriend comes back splattered with swatches of blood decorating his clothes. Was it his or someone elses? Where was Kakashi for that matter? Oh Kakashi would so pay for it if the blood was Lucifers own!

"Thought isn't important right now, I'll tell you and Satsuki when its relevant I promise, but Kakashi and I just dealt with the lion share of our problem. I blew up the warehouse with main contingent of Gatos merc army as Gato ambles down the road with a protection detail. Me and Kakashi dispatched the goon before he ambles off with Gato at kunai point for what I donct know."

"So the blood isn't yours?" Sakura asked with a sharp look.

"You wound me Sakura. Who do you take me for, Natsumi?" Lucifer asked with a hurt look. He ignored the indignant response from said blonde girl and shed his coat onto the back of a chair.

"No, you're not useless like she is" Satsuki said ignoring the reprimand from Kushina who had just entered the room. "So its safe to assume that Kakashis gone with our soon to be dead tyrant to either torture him for all the information hes worth or hes forcing out soon to be dead tyrant to show him to his base, hes going to kill the reserve force and then make Gato cough up every valuable he has in the base before killing him?"

"I'd lay my money on the latter over the former. Kakashi was annoyed enough with Natsumis little bullshit he seemed to need to kill something or somone. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes back covered in blood with blood splattered scrolls containing whatever wealth Gato has squeezed out of Namis people" Lucifer said with a shrug.

Kushina grimaced as she digested the information silently. Lucifer had notched another tally on the red flag board without knowingm Being able to read the nuances of Kakashis body and tone, even when clear, to determine mind set was no common skill.


	15. Hell hath no fury like angry girlfriends

Lucifer sighed as he nursed a bloody split lip while Sakura and Satsuki patched him up and gave him an earful. Calling them mad was an understatement after revealing who he truly was was a disaster.

-flashback to the day of the battle with Zabuza-

Lucifer sighed boredly as he and his team, he didn't care where Natsumi Kakashi or Kushina was, watched the bridge. After splitting the work load between the six of them, and purposefully keeping their groups seperate, he'd led his girlfriends up to the bridge as Tazuna began to direct the workers on completing the last leg. "I got a feeling..." he said to himself noting the other two nod at the same on the edges of his peripherals. "Eyes open and heads on a swivel. The first sign of foreign chakra Satsuki I want you to activate your eyes and give us a head count of hostiles."

Satsuki nodded and tilted her head slightly. "You two smell that?" she asked as a heavy scent filled the air. Her eyes widened as she heard a scream filter through the sudden mist. "Zabuza is here with an accomplice" she said drawing a kunai in each hand.

Sakura tensed summoning her sword and took a defensive position. "Wheres Things One and Two when they're actually useful?" she muttered with a scowl. It took her a moment for it dawn on her Lucifer was gone from between her and Satsuki in his battle ready true form.

"Zabuza, Zabuza, Zabuza... Why continue this charade? Gato is dead and his wealth plundered. You were never going to get paid by the little shit. Leave now and I won't have to kill you before looting that wonderful sword off your corpse" Lucifer said fingering the blade of his nodaichi. "Hell, I might even let you in on a little secret to why you failed to kill Yagura."

Zabuza growled at being taken so lightly yet didn't visibly react. Their last encounter briefly flashed tbrough the forefront of his mind before he shook it away mentally. "I'm aware of that Sword Thief. This is a matter of pride since you have been confirmed by bounty stations to have killed and turned in my fellow Seven Swordsmen corpses without their swords. This is about honoring my brothers in arms!"

Lucifer actually laughed at the anger that permeated Zabuza's voice. He was mad about the other traitorous turncoats that tried to kill Yagura with him being dead? "Oh you mean last grocery list? They were annoying to track down individually" he said off-handedly. "Their swords however were disappointing in my opinion. The only one to offer me a modicum of difficulty was the Kiba Swords. Nasty jolt those things gave. Still wasn't very impressed. I melted their swords down for scrap steel."

Zabuza saw red as the man before him talked down of his brothers and absolutely lost it hearing him say he melted their swords down for scrap steel. The blades of Kiris Seven Swordsmen were forged from Uzu steel, the hardest chakra conductive metal in all of the Elemental Nations and he reduced the swords to scrap?! Oh he would avenge his brothers and kill the brat for his transgressions! Launching himself forward with a roar he drew his blade intent on cutting the man to pieces.

"You two deal with the accomplice. I see ice on the edges of the bridge at the murkiest part of the mist so his accomplice may be from the now borderline extinct Yuki clan so be careful" Lucifer ordered Sakura and Satsuki before launching himself at Zabuza meeting him halfway, a shower sparks erupting as their swords met. In a display of skill that was unheard of the two fought evenly a titan of a match that left deep gouges in the stonework of the bridge.

Sakura and Satsuki were in awe as nearly every attack was countered between the two fighters. When one would get slashed drawing blood the other would sport their own wound seconds later like they were trying to goad the other into losing their cool to mess up but it didn't seem to be happening. The whistle of incoming projectiles broke the moment before both girls were deflecting senbon made out of ice.

"Losing your attention in a battle could be fatal" Zabuza's accomplice chastised in a mocking tone. Dressed in traditional garb and having a mask adorn their face that messed with their voice it was hard to say if the person was male or female.

By the time Kakashi, Kushina and Natsumi arrived to relieve Lucifer Sakura and Satsuki the former group was shocked at the scene. Lucifer was dead locked in a battle with Zabuza sporting some severe wound with Zabuza looking about the same worse for wear while Sakura and Satsuki were engaged with a Kiri hunter nin. Natsumi was kept back by a shadow clone as Kushina and Kakashi tried to rush to Lucifers aid.

"Don't interfere in my fight!" Lucifer maaged a deep gash across Zabuza's chest before kicking the man away. "Help Sakura and Satsuki fight the accomplice, he or she has the ice bloodline of the Yuki clan!" Diving back into the titan fight he ducked under a swing meant to remove his head and slashed at Zabuza managing to sever three fingers from his sword arm forcing him to drop the gargantuan blade. "Any last words Zabuza before I kill you?" he asked hefting the cleaver up onto his shoulder.

"No but I do have a request. Tell me your name" Zabuza said between hacking coughs of blood, his injuries hitting him all at once as the adrenaline stopped.

Lucifer scowled internally. He could deny the request but as a dedicated kenjutsu practioner to deny a condemned enemies last wish was a a mark against your honor. "My adopted name or the one on my death certificate if they ever filed one for me?" he asked.

Sakura and Satsuki were riddled with ice senbon by the time Kushina and Kakashi got involved in the fight. With reinforcements it was unfair how quickly the accomplice was taken down. Hearing the conversation between Lucifer and Zabuza, Satsuki and Sakura shares a glance. 'Death certificate?' she mouthed to her friend. Just what was Lucifer talking about?

"Your real name kid." Zabuza fell to his knees as he coughed up more blood staining the bandages around his mouth.

Lucifer grimaced physically at that. "My blood-adooted name is Lucifer Morningstar, a fitting name considering what I made into because of my roots" he said hefting the cleaver up in the air for a downward slash. "The name I was born with... Was Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, eldest child of the Yondaime Hokage Minato Namikaze and the royal Uzumaki heiress Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze. But I haven't used that name in nearly twenty years since I 'died'." The geyser of blood as the steel of the cleaver seperated Zabuza's painted Lucifer in hot blood like the devil himself as a chorus of horrified gasps reached his ears. 'Well shit..' he thought drawing a blood seal and sealed his new prize away.

-flashback end-

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?! DO YOU KNOW MUCH ME AND SAKURA MOURNED YOUR DEATH?! DO YOU EVEN CARE!?!" Satsuki asked, borderline screamed, with tears streaming down her face. She couldn't help feeling like her heart and emotions had been toyed with.

Lucifer looked away from Satsukis tear stained face. Just the sight of her crying and knowing he was the cause of it made his heart clench. "Of course I do! But I had to die for you and her to be safe!" The guilt on his face and in the tenseness of his muscles spoke volumes about it being the truth. "I was being abused, tortured and everything else under the sun for something I didn't know about at the time! If I told you and Sakura the truth as soon as I came back and we were as close as when we were eight that bitch who liked to whip her only son with a glass studded whip and kunai rape happy cyclops would have gotten suspicious... I wanted to tell you two, honest I did... But I do care about you two" he said quietly. "When I told you both that I returned your feelings I meant it. I do love you both, even as kids I loved you two even if it was far more innocent."

Sakura looked at Lucifer with silent tears escaping her eyes. She wanted to believe it, she wanted to believe Lucifer was their Naruto but she needed something more to know for sure. "Prove it... Prove you're our Naruto-kun" she said quietly.

"I gave you and Satsuki the outer pieces of this necklace" he toyes with the piece around his neck "on your sixth birthdays as a promise we would always be friends. I was the first person to call you a delicate blossom besides your dad that you didn't deck for it" Lucifer said looking at Sakura. Turning his gaze to Satsuki he gave her a small smile and gently wiped the tear tracks away from the girls trembling form. "And you my precious firefly" the warmth in his eyes glowed "we met you on the pier as you were sobbing your heart out. Your dad had chewed you out for not being good as Itachi. I stole you a rainbow swirled cotton candy you, me and Sakura shared til you were forced to go home." He winced slightly as both girls buried themselves in his sides holding him tightly. "I'm sorry I lied to you both but I promise you it was for good reason. Sadly Naruto died that day sixteen years ago. I have been going by Lucifer like I introduced since my father blood adopted me after I finished training and came out of Nirvana" he said soothingly running his hands through the kunoichis hair lovingly.

"Its onle been four yea-"

"I'll explain later, trust me" Lucifer interrupted Sakura.

"Never lie to us again unless its absolutely neccessary" Satsuki whispered against Lucifers neck as she nuzzled him.

"I wasn't planning on it. I love you both from the very bottom of my heart" Lucifer whispered kissing both Sakura and Satsukis forehead. The whispered responses made his heart flutter as they said they loved him too even if he made them mourn over his 'dying'.

"Naruto..."

Lucifers good mood left as he saw Kushina and Kakashi were standing ten feet away from. "The little boy you're talking about died almost twenty years ago. Care for another guess?" he asked with a sneer. "Or did you forget how you along with every person in the entirety of Konoha tortured an innocent child for misdeeds he never did? Or in your case Kakashi" the sneer morphed into something entirely demonic "you liked to have Crow and Otter hold him down while you raped him in the ass with the cutting edge side of a kunai?!" The pair of flinches at his side returned his gaze to Sakura and Satsuki. He softened his expression as he kissed their heads gently. "I don't want to hear anything you two have to say. I didn't come back for anyone but these two angels."


	16. Much a do about disavowing clan members

The trip back to Konoha was a tense silent one. If the divide hadn't been before it was glaringly present now. Lucifer refused to acknowledge Natsumi, Kakashi or Kushina despite the many attempts to get him to listen to what they had to say; well what Kakashi and Kushina had to say, Natsumi was at a complete loss that the boy she thought a monster because of his indifference to death was her thought dead elder brother. Feeling his patience worn to the absolute extreme the ashy blonde, he had done away with the limiter seals for the time being to handle his full abilities for longer durations, he backhanded Natsumi in the face sending her flying into the village wall for bugging him non-stop for the last hour alongside Kakashi and Kushina. "I said in Nami I don't give a shit about your justifications to your behaviour. I already know when you fuckers die you're going to hell. How do I know this you must be thinking? I came to near death enough times that I am on a first name basis with the Shinigami. Which reminds me" he bit his finger and ran a drop of blood across a seal "Grandmother Mito and Grandfather Hashirma sent a message through Shi-chan last time. I quote 'Kushina you worthless little harlot, you betrayed every value by abusing and trying to murder your own child. I am ashamed of you as I am of that shell of a village. I may have taught you the secret histories after the destruction of Uzushio but now I am relieved I never taught you how to access The Trials to claim the full mantle of Uzumaki clan head.'" Lucifer saw Kushina go bug eyed but continued. "'I have already trained my successor and not only you but Tsunade as well as your daughter and the clan traitor Jiraiya Uzuki will have their come upance when they reveal themselves. If I had the corporeal form to deliver unto you as you did your son you would not be alive so it boggles my mind how he survived even with his..Burden. You are going to rot in hell like the whole of Konoha with the exception of Lucifer and his angels. Shini-chan awaits your death clan traitor' end quote. I guess Grandmother isn't happy with you Kushina."

Sakura and Satsuki were silent the whole time trying to madly suppress smirks at the jounins expressions as Natsumi struggled to pry herself out of the village wall. Two days into their return trip Lucifer pulled them aside briefly giving a vague overview of his plans and to call them impressed was vaguely reminiscent of a lie. The detail and planning he had put into his ambitions was beyond carefully laid and extraordinary in scale. If Lucifer could accomplish even half of his objectives the shinobi world would be turned on its head.

"Team 7 reporting in from C turned at least A-rank escort to Nami no Kuni" Lucifer said to the chunin gate guards. The pair gave him a hassle looking at his ID and then back at him. "I wear multiple level Limiter Seals you twits." He quickly activated his seals and looked precisely like his ID before deactivating them once more. "You useless jounin comin or not? I did the lions share of the mission work its a wonder I'm not a jounin." The snarky tone he used made Sakura and Satsuki snicker as they caught up to him .

Once the full group of six was in the mission office the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife as Natsumi glared daggers at Lucifer while Kakashi recounted the mission. "Lucifer is not who he says he is" the cycloptic jounin said as he finished up the last notes of what he'd seen of the confrontation with Zabuza.

"Actually I am. Its called an adopted name" Lucifer snorted rolling his eyes.

"Then who is he precisely?" Minato asked leaning forward with a narrow gaze.

"Our son." Kushina looked away from Minatos eyes narrowing even further. "I don't know how he survived but hes our son Minato."

"Fuck you both, you aren't my parents even if DNA says otherwise" Lucifer said with a sneer. "How I survived is a clan secret so you aren't getting it out of me. Plus why would I claim redemptionless child abusing bitches like you as ANY form of family?!"

Minatos cold gaze calculatingly scanned the genin and even he coulr spot right away something amiss. The scars on Lucifers hands were the exact shape of his hirashin kunai blades he had made red hot one night and pressed into Narutos hands for breaking a vase for punishment. Or so it was as Natsumi claimed back them. Lucifer favored his right leg just a little more than his left which raised the memory of how on more than one ocassion he had user low level lightning jutsu to paralyze the nerves in Narutos body before beating him badly- prolonged exposure would have caused some nerve damage. "Tell me your name, your full birth name" he said with a flat tone.

"It doesn't matter what my birth name was. Its what I am now that matters" Lucifer shot back standing his ground. "Besides I don't answer to you. I'm here on the will of the Fire Daimyo."

"Don't make me repeat myself genin. As long as you wear that headband you answer to me when I give you an order" Minato said as his voice becaem flatter in tone than the first time.

"And YOU answer to the Fire Daimyo, the same man who could have your head for making demands of a clan head. The same Daimyo who sent me here for field combat experience. The same Daimyo who after a lot of time with me doesn't trust YOU or THIS VILLAGE worth a damn. Did you think the murder of Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze was a hush hush secret?" Lucifer asked as his lip curled into a sneer. "That you'd get away with what you did?"

Sakura lightly grabbed Lucifers arm and squeezed gently to ground his anger. If he did something stupid it would be a bad thing for all of them. At the moment before the blonde was about to really blow his top a puff of smoke erupted in front of his face. The leviathan that he had introduced to her and Satsuki, Katsuhiro she believed it was off the top of her head, held out a manilla envelope to him.

Reading the contents quickly he smirked in what could be skewed as maliciously evil but he attributed it to his longer and sharper canine teeth that looked more like basilisk fangs. "Perfect timing Katsuhiro" he said scratching the leviathans chin gently making her hiss happily. "Come over around dinner time and I'll have a reward for you." He gave her a knowing look and nod that brought a malicious smirk to the summons lips.

"As you wish Uzumaki-sama" Katsuhiro said before popping off though she did catch the surprise etch itchself onto Minatos face and the horror of realization fill his eyes as Kushina, she remembered Lucifer telling she was the false claimed clan head, paled in unhidden anxiety at seeing her.

"As I now officially possess the paperwork, I am Lucifer Morningstar-Uzumaki. Formerly the deceased Naruto Uzumaki-Namikaze, murdered child of abuser Minato Namikaze and false Uzumaki clan head and child abuser Kushina Uzumaki-Namikaze" Lucifer said with a twisted smirk. "And before you open your mouth Namikaze, your wife is a fraud. The mantle of the Uzumaki clan head is determined by passing three tests: mind, body and spirit. Because I was beaten to near death so many times I got the pleasure to meet my grandmother Mito and she trained my spirit in the rites to access The Trials. Now, even if you pass the trials you have to have three other things to have the mantle of clan head. Number one, the clan leaders summon contract. My little familiar who was nice enough to give me the paperwork is the eldest daughter of one of the contracts bosses, the Leviathans daughter to be precise."

Kushina was paling quicker now as she realized just how fucked she was.

"Number two, the clan leaders artifact. A mirror assembled in three pieces that when combined together gives a temporary boost in chakra to the clan head. Anyone else who tries to use it, well they die according to Kensei Uzumaki, first clan leader of the Uzumaki who saw his estranged son try to use it and have his chakra sucked dry into the mirror" Lucifer continued on ignoring Kushinas state of being. "Last but not least" he summoned a ceremonial looking ninjato with a circular handguard fashioned to look like a raging whirlpool "the clan heads sword Uzuhime. Now, as the rightful clan head of the Uzumaki I'm taking your wife and daughter to handle to some clan business." Without giving Minato a chance to respond Lucifer disappeared in column of smoke with Kushina and Natsumi.

Never before then in his time as Hokage had a village wide emergency been called so quickly. By the time they found Natsumi and Kushina they were unconscious in the park with a note pinned to their chests beside an equally unconscious Tsunade and Jiraiya. 'They are disowned from the Uzumaki Clan. Their knowledge of clan techniques is wiped from their minds with a special seal only I the clan head can remove. Jiraiyas contract as well as yours Minato has been voided since the Toad contract was stolen from the clan by Jiraiya and illegally given to you. Tsunades medical knowledge in regards to clan secrets is also gone from not just her mind but I tore it out of the hospitals with every ounce of strength in my position as clan head and afforded to me by the Fire Daimyo. Do NOT piss me off if you know whats good for you.

One very pissed off clan head,

Lucifer Morningstar-Uzumaki

P.S. Don't bother trying to get into the compound or the Uzumaki clan bank account. I re-keyed the matrixes with full clan head bloodwards so only I or those I let in may enter or access them. Yours, your daughters and your wifes things as packed into suitcases on the sidewalk outside the compound. Oh and tell your wife and daughter to drop the Uzumaki name since the seal also prevents them from passing on the bloodline. This is the least of what clan traitors get Namikaze.'

Across the village Lucifer heard the frustrated cry of one very frustated Minato Namikaze. A sinister chuckle escaped him as he entered the bedroom and spotted his girls already curled up under the blankets waiting for him. "I didn't keep you two waiting long did I?" he asked tossing his towel over the back of a chair.

"No, we just climbed in a couple of minutes ago ourselves" Sakura yawned.

"Waiting for me to warm you two up to sleep?" Lucifer asked teasing a soft loving smile on his lips. Two light punches were his answer as he got comfy. After a quick kiss to both, and being mildly surprised as the two girls leaned over him and gave each other a kiss, the trio fell asleep comfortably.


	17. Aint the law a bitch?

Lucifer hummed lightly as he strolled up to the mission office with Sakura and Satsuki flanking him. Ignoring the tired glare and bloodshot eyes of Kushina he grinned sharply and felt a sense of satisfaction at her retreating to the side. "So, what are we doing today?" he asked with a chipper amused tone. He'd slept great, woke up with his girls practically laying on top of him and Kushina not to mention Natsumi and Minato looked bloody ragged; all in all a great start to the day in his books!

"You taking this damn seal off us and letting us back in the compound!" Kushina snarled with her eyes flaring up. His anger was one thing, that was justifiable considering all that happened. Hell, it was actually merciful considering! Outright stripping her, Jiraiya, Tsunade and Natsumi of all knowledge related to Uzumaki techniques as well as Minato and Jiraiya of their summon contract was unexcusable.

"Nah, not happening and I'm not letting your husband or Jiraiya resign the Toad contract. You see there Kushina, I talked to the great Toad Sage. Told him what you all did, showed him proof of it all. Plus it is the clan heads right to exile traitors. You broke every tenant the clan had regarding family when it came to my case" Lucifer said with a shrug. "Next point. I have the paperwork from Uzushio, signed by your father my grandfather the last Uzukage before Uzu was destroyed, where Jiraiya was exiled due to trying to sell clan secret seals to fund his prostitute hiring problem; sworn affidavits from witnesses now long dead included. Luckily Jiraiya was caught but when he was banished the slimy bastard made off with the Toad contract. Lastly don't even begin to bitch at me about barring you, your daughter, Jiraiya, Tsunade and your husband access to the Uzumaki bank accounts. Only the clan head and their chosen council is supposed have access. The matter of fact you let your spouse, your daughter and two non main family have access would put you to death by Uzushio law was it still around. Not to mention facilitating and participating in the abuse and torture of the rightful clan heir by birth right. Any other complaints?" he asked with a scowl.

Minato looked with skeptical eyes at Lucifer when the bit about Jiraiya came up. "Those people are dead so the affidavits are meanlingless" he said in a measured tone. He wanted to get back in his sons good graces but the agitation of being played with was not doing his patience any help.

"True but I didn't say it was the only proof there was against Jiraiya now did I? After all" Lucifer leaned forward with a with slight malicious shark tooth like smile "you are by no means innocent. In the affidavits the person Jiraiya was trying to sell clan secrets to were members of your clan Namikaze." He saw the surprise register in the mans eyes. "Namikaze Satoru, Namikaze Jintou and Namikaze Shinji were the three Jiraiya tried to sell Uzumaki clan secret seals to" he said turning to round his gaze on Kushina, her skin paling as the implication set in. "You married the spawn of the clan that tried to steal my clans secrets, another reason I call you a traitor and stripped all knowledge from you."

Sakura had the good mind to pull her boyfriend back as Kushinas eyes were hard amethyst marbles aimed directly at her husband. Drama first thing in the morning was not what she wanted. She saw the look that Satsuki shot her and rolled her eyes since the obsidian eyes filled with the same annoyance. Before the screaming match between husband and wife could erupt the emerald eyed kunoichi cleared her throat. "We were going to request a change of team baka" she said slapping Lucifers arm affectionately.

"Oh right. You two are incredibly distracting you know" Lucifer said with an easygoing grin as he glanced between the two kunoichi. "Your wife and student, one of my more active torturers in my youth but I'm sure you don't care about that, have to spoon feed your daughter every little thing during group training. They had to leave solid clones to protect her and our client during our C turned A-rank mission. Frankly I'm confident enough to bet if Sakura, Satsuki and I were to enter the chunin exams we'd make it through and be promoted."

Minato grimaced and said nothing. He'd read the mission report of Natsumi not contributing anything to the last mission and her miserable efforts when they trained as a team. His mind reeled when he remembered one particular fact that made his eyes brighten a fraction, not nearly enough to be noticed but just enough to register he heard Lucifers words. "Did you have a jounin in mind? Since you three seem so adamant to stick together it would take a fairly skilled jounin to keep pace with you three and despite many claims our jounin corp is full of mostly average skills men and women."

"Oh yes, the three of us have two in mind actually" Satsuki said with a tiny smirk tugging at her lips. "They even put their offers in writing and signed it. Had it legally notarized as well for the inevitable time this would happen and no one could claim forgery."

Sakura picked up as she twirled a strand of her bangs. "They surprised us at first, Satsuki and myself that is. One a master swordsman able to pull the wool over everyones eyes, even you" she said procuring a document from her weapons pouch. "The offer written, dated and signed by one Hayate Gekkou." She placed the document on the desk and barely raised an eyebrow at the look the Hokages face.

"And by law of this village any clan with a retainer or vassal clan beneath them may pull them from their position to fulfill their duties. But I don't need to so that since this person more than willingly offered it since she was one of the only ANBU not to torture me as a child because you sent her on so many missions outside the village" Lucifer said. pulling out a second document. "A written, signed and dated offer put forth to us three by ANBU agent Neko and Uzumaki clan retainer by blood, Yugao Uzuki."

Kushina decided mentally to save her tirade at Minato for later as she snatched up the documents and scanned them. "These are fake. They have to be" she said to herself.

"Summon them here then ask for yourself if they did or did not write those. I don't lie and neither do my girlfriends unlike a whole village that I could think of" Lucifer said with a harsh glare that could weather stone to dust. Yugao had told her she hated Naruto and that was why she was never in the village! But...had she been lied to? Had Yugao actually cared about the formerly sunshine blonde child and was never around because Minato knew this? Had he purposefully put one of the few remaining live retainers on external missions so Naruto would have died without protection?

Minato cursed and paled internally at being called out. When their eyes were still shut he had been guilty of doing just that, purposefully sending Yugao on A or S rank missions outside the missions hoping she would die. He snapped his fingers summoning two ANBU agents, a hawk and otter mask adorned their facrs. The suppressed rage on Lucifers face made him nervous, though it did not show, and order them to bring Hayate and neko to his office.

Sakura felt the tightness in Lucifers muscles as she wrapped her arms around of his own. Whispering soft words in his ear before kissing his cheek softly saw him tense a moment before he forced his hody to relax, his fingers gently teasing the skin of her stomach through her shirt making the kunoichi shudder internally. 'Damn it Lucifer, you're paying for this later' she thought feeling a slight wetness to her panties as his fingers idly traced over a particular spot she loved touched on her stomach.

When the two ANBU returned with their assigned targets in tow Lucifers eyes darted between the pair. Hayate hadn't changed in the least. 'Actually hes taken to wearing a bandana now but otherwise the same. Even still chews on a senbon for idle motion' he thought. When his eyes met Yugaos, who was dressed rather casually as a jounin which meant today was probably a rest day for her, he saw her eyes widen in recognition. The next thing he knew the purple haired kunoichi slapped him hard across the face.

"You bastard!" Yugao growled dangerously upset but visibly shaking in relief. She'd recognize those eyes anywhere, so warm and kind but carefully guarded. Eyes that glimmered with regret for obviously upsetting her but relieved to see her after so long.

"Nice to see you too kity cat The years have been kind you" Lucifer said rubbing his stinging cheek with his free hand before holding a hand up to keep Sakura and Satsuki from doing anything stupid. "Shes upset for nearly the same reason you two were with me only Yugao was protective of me as a kid before I met you two. Isn't that right Yugao nee-chan" he said extracting him arm from Sakura.

Yugaos visible trembling intensified for a moment before her body seemed to relax. "Its good to know you're safe and alive kitten" she said drawing Lucifer into a tight hug as she nuzzled his shoulder, the familiar teasing escaping her lips easily like it was only yesterday she'd seen and not what felt like a lifetime ago when he was so small and need his 'kitty cat' to protect him as little as her job allowed.

"Ahem."

"We'll get to you in a moment" Lucifer said with a snarl before he kissed Yugaos cheek softly. "This is no social call Yugao. You and Hayate signed those written offers to train Sakura, Satsuki and a redheaded boy with them by the name of Lucifer Morningstar right."

"Of course. We happened upon them doing an insane workout and were impressed by the strides in multiple fields of the ninja arts. Nintaijutsu, seal infused kenjutsu, traditional elemental ninjutsu utilized in ways we didn't think to use them before" Hayate said without his trademark 'sick cough'.

Kushinas eyes filled with dread as the pit of her stomach sank.

"Now, those offers are still valid yes?" Satsuki asked as she picked at a nail with one her kunai.

"Yes, we need a bit more excitement since everything has been stale lately" Yugao said not letting go of the hug she had Lucifer trapped in yet.

Lucifer himself chuckled softly and merely patted Yugao on the head. Sakura and Satsuki looked a bit off put but did nothing since it was obvious the purple haired kunoichi only thought of him as a younger sibling. "Then you two are in luck. Sakura, Satsuki and I need a sensei or two. New team formed and all."


End file.
